


Open Your Eyes: Pt 1

by PrinceofDarkness15



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: CEO Ben Solo, Consent, Cunnilingus, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Falling In Love, I'm Bad At Tagging, Manhattan, New York City, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Protective Ben Solo, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, slight abuse, super slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-11-07 21:24:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 132,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20824037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceofDarkness15/pseuds/PrinceofDarkness15





	1. Chapter 1

** ********

Rey Johnson is so thankful to be back in New York. Sure, she loves visiting the beautiful, sunny West Coast with her boyfriend of three and a half years, but nothing beats being back at home where she can be in her own skin and not have Poe's mother breathing down her neck every five seconds.Gripping the sides of the seat, palms sweaty, Rey closes her eyes as she feels the engines of the Boeing 707 begin it's steep descent to the tarmac below.

She had never been really all that fond of flying; in fact, most times it scared the shit out of her.

Though she remembered the times when the torture of being suspended nearly thirty thousand feet in the air was actually worthwhile; like the first time she had left her home back in North Carolina for college, or to the tropical island to have a week's vacation with her girlfriends, or a quit visit to see her beloved foster parent's. However, this trip was outnumbered them all.

She absolutely _loved_ New York City. Looking at her was one the main reasons she still manage to wake up every day---her boyfriend, Poe Dameron.

She could tell he noticed the panicked look upon her face was filled with complete uncertainty of what lay ahead, not just for her but for their relationship as a whole. He reached for her hand and gripped it tightly and leaned over to stroke a piece of hair away from her face. 

"Relax, babe. Everything's going to be all right?" He whispered in a soft reassuring voice. "We'll be on the ground before you know it."

She forced a smile and hesitantly returned her gaze to the window and watched as familiar buildings that once looked tiny from the air slowly began to get bigger and bigger. Then the sudden turbulence from the wind hitting the underside of the plane made her jump. Rey gripped Poe's hand and looked over at him once more. He gave a her a quick smile and nodded; essentially letting her know that they were going to be just fine.

Resting her head against his shoulder, she began to wonder what he was thinking? He had been so consumed with her meeting his family and now that she had---what was next for them and this relationship as whole? 

Poe's mother had sense a hesitation between the two lovebirds and had made a point of telling them as such during their visit, which, made them both feel a little uneasy on the way back home. So what was next? Would they eventually take the next step or fall back into a routine of patterns?

"Babe." Poe murmured, tapping Rey gently on the shoulder. "You can open your eyes now, we've landed."

"Thank God." Rey said letting out a low sigh. "I can't wait to get off this plane, get my bags and get back to the apartment to get a hot shower and to check on my baby."

"Yes." Poe chuckled before leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "I just hope BB hasn't managed to destroy the place while we've been gone. We can't afford another couch right now."

"I've been telling you we need to find someone who can dog-sit whenever we go out of town like this." Rey exclaimed. 

After what seemed like forever navigating their way through the airport and grabbing their bags out of terminal, Poe hailed a taxi and they began to make their way back over towards their apartment which they purchased together a year ago. That alone had been a battle of wills in of itself, but one that was still a rather sore topic for most of Rey's friends.

When Poe had first suggested it during dinner one evening, Rey's best friend Rose had been rather reluctant to agree to it. She still felt there was a lot about Poe Dameron that Rey nor herself knew about. However, so as to keep the peace between individuals, Rey had agree to move in but only temporarily.

She would stay with Poe on the weekends and go back to the apartment she shared with Rose during the week. 

Once they had arrived, Rey stepped out of the taxi and the sounds and sights of the Big Apple immediately hit her like a tidal wave. Car alarms blaring left and right, brakes grinding on the side walks and sirens of firetrucks and patrol cars erupted through the air.

People were talking, yelling to one another and their footsteps pounding against the busy concrete sidewalks, and the frantic flow of the tightly packed cars which consisted of a sea of bright yellow taxis were only a tiny reminder that she was home at last.

Steam bellowed from manholes and the dirty smog hit her nostrils and made her cringe with disgust, ugh, that putrid smell of the big, bad city, it's definitely something you never forget it. Entering the building and all the noise immediately ceased and Rey finally felt she could finally breathe again. The doorman tipped his hat to the pair of them as they made their way over towards the elevator. 

"It's the seventeenth floor right?" Rey asked the second the double metal doors closed behind them.

"Yeah." Poe replied before reaching into his back-pocket to answer the incoming phone call on his cell phone. "Sorry, babe--I have to take this. This is Dameron---uh-huh, yeah, yeah I just got back like two seconds ago."

It was probably work no doubt. Poe was an executive at a place called Resistance Alliance and worked under the CEO named Leia Organa, but that was all that Rey knew.

He never liked to talk about work whenever he was around her, and perhaps that was one of the things Rose meant when she had said that Rey didn't know everything about Poe. However, that wasn't for her to judge. If Poe didn't want to talk about work, then that was his purgative. 

_Ping!_ The elevator doors opened they sluggishly made their way over towards the double oak doors. Poe lived on the top floor and paid the big bucks to obtain it, which, Rey wasn't going to complain, not in the slightest. She secretly liked this life of pure luxury, especially whenever he brought back home all these amazing gifts.

The new iPhone Watch Series had been a complete and total surprise, but one that Rey took with complete appreciation nonetheless.

"Fuck me, sideways!" Poe nearly shouted.

"What?! What's wrong?!" Rey asked turning slowly around to face him. She could hear BB pawing at the door on the other side awaiting impatiently for his mommy and daddy to get inside the apartment, but clearly he would have to wait.

"Babe, I'm going to have to go down to the office. It's urgent." Poe tells her and already from the disappointed look he receives he already has no desire to go, but when Leia Organa calls, you do not say no to that woman---it's just something you do not do. "I'm so sorry."

"But Poe, babe, you literally just got home? Can't it not wait till tomorrow?" Rey then asked him.

"I wish it were that simple, Rey, but duty calls." He says before leaning down to kiss her quickly on the cheek. "I'll try to make it as quick as I can, all right? In the meantime, here's the key to the apartment. Listen, take that shower and just unwind, all right? BB wants to see you, clearly. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Rey just stands there and watches as Poe scurries back over towards the elevator, smiling back her before disappearing into the elevator shaft once more. Well, this isn't exactly what she had in mind for their last night together. She wasn't looking forward into going back into the office after a week away, but at the same time, maybe slowly getting back into the swing of things could be a good thing after a pretty stressful week over in Cali.

However, if Rey Johnson thought things were stressful now she had absolutely no idea what was coming for her in the following days ahead. 

**********

Though his father had told him countless stories about it, until that fateful Monday morning, Benjamin Solo believed that love at first sight didn't exist. He had the full attention of the beautiful blonde bombshell at the front desk, but the second his eyes locked onto the adorable brunette walking into the front lobby, he found himself completely besotted. 

But more so, he felt drawn to her as if a rope bound his waist and she was on the receiving end, spontaneously pulling him towards her. Blinking twice he shook his head at the magnetic connection---thinking maybe it was all in his head.

"Good morning, Miss Johnson." the security guard said, smiling brightly at her.

"Good morning, Snap." said Rey as she steadily approached the front desk, her paperwork clutched tightly in her hands.

"Did you have a pleasant trip, Miss Johnson?" Snap asked her.

"I did, actually, though, my boyfriend seemed to have ran into a small complication the second we got back home due to work, but other than that, it went really great." Rey replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Johnson, but I'm glad you had fun nonetheless. The office felt quite empty without you here."

"Me too and thanks, I'm more than happy to be back seeing as I was told that so much had happened while I was away. Listen, I was told by Finn coming off the subway that we would be having someone by the name of Mr. Solo dropping by the office today to speak with us about a company merge." Rey stated as she brought her mocha latte up to her lips.

"And you'd be right, Miss Johnson." A deep male voice rung out suddenly, causing both Rey and Snap to jump slightly from where the stood. "Hi, I'm Ben. Benjamin Solo, to be exact."

The receptionist, who had gained Ben's attention prior to Rey walking in, pouted her lips as he had walked away from her towards the pair of them. Rey's gaze slid over towards him and her breath hitched at the sight of the tall, devastatingly beautiful man staring back at her.

She felt thrown, as though her equilibrium had been skewed all over the lobby. Her eyes raked across his wavy inky black hair which fell well past his ears. 

He had breathtakingly chiseled features; his mouth seemed to have been painstakingly carved to perfection by an expert sculptor. Her eyes then flickered down to what appeared to be a perfectly toned body hidden beneath an all-black three piece tailored suit. Trying to seem rather un-bewildered by his insane male hotness, she quickly returned her attention back to the beefy-looking security guard.

"See you around lunch time then perhaps, Snap?" Rey asked, her voice suddenly an octave higher than usual.

"Of course, Miss Johnson. You know where to find me." Snap replied; tipping his hat to her before returning to his post by the maneuvering metal doors of the front lobby.

"Nice guy." Ben said with a smile as he followed her over towards the elevators. "We could really use a guy like him back at my office. The one we have now has an attitude of a wet mop. Who knows the sort of turn around we could have---"

"Yes, you never did say where you were coming from exactly, Mr. Solo." said Rey, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Or maybe my best friend, Finn, just decided to leave that part out on accident."

"I'm glad you asked, Miss Johnson. I work for a company called First Order Holdings, have you ever heard of it?" Ben then asked just as he and Rey stepped into the incoming elevator.

He smelled heavenly, like that of fresh linen and a dash of something spicy. Cinnamon was the first thing that came to mind---or maybe something more along the lines of anise, either which, she couldn't exactly tell but she was inhaling it deeply and it was setting her senses ablaze.

Plus, with him looking so hot, so scrumptious in that suit didn't help the situation out either.

“Strangely, I’ve never heard of it.” Rey confessed a few moments later.

“Most people haven’t.” Ben smiled. “It’s a fairly new company here in New York but, it’s one that’s definitely on the rise.”

His voice was smooth as brandy and made Rey’s stomach flutter. Forget about those pierce amber eyes of the charm bleeding from his pores; his dimples smile alone made Rey instantly convinced that countless of women would drop their panties for him on his immediate command. 

_Ping!_ They had reached the floor and it was only then that Rey had caught a glimpse of herself in the brush-aluminum doors. She looked like a mess just coming into work, after all he had been running a little behind this morning. 

“After you, Miss Johnson.” Ben said with a smile. 

“T-Thanks.” 

As Rey stepped out before him and began making her way down the narrow hallway towards the cubicles, Ben’s eyes devoured her chestnut hair, which fell just above her shoulders.

He had never favored a woman with its length or cut—nonetheless one who looked frazzled in a bit of a rush—but in that single moment, she was the most magnificent creature he’d ever laid eyes on.

Between her heart-shaped face, her petite slim and yet toned physique, and that intoxicating perfume waving about her—he was lost. Ben found it hard to catch a decent breath and as he followed closely in behind her he tried in vain to ignore his heightened awareness of her but it was no use. 

“So, seeing as I have few minutes to kill before the meeting, tell me, which one is your office, Miss Johnson?” Ben then asked, hoping to ease the growing sexual tension that was forming between them. 

Rey tried not to fidget as she met his intense gaze. Being so close to him only made him realize exactly how gorgeous he really was. He was such a potent force in such a small, tightly confined space. Her lips parted to accommodate her fast breathing. Why did he want to know where her office was and more importantly, why did he want to spend what little time he had with her? She was nothing...._.no one._

Rey bit her lip and causally smiled up at him. "My office, unfortunately, is away from prying eyes, Mr. Solo."

Her rather unexpected, sexy feistiness prickled across his skin. He shrugged noncommittally, having tried to get a feel of her, and knowing she was not going to give away all her secrets so freely. He had to respect that she was a woman of privacy and who was he to deny her of that? Still, a little mystery is always good, especially for the real intentions that he has for this beautiful, young woman he had only just met.

"Ah, classified. I get it, you don't want to tell me." Ben returned the smile, shifting on the balls of his feet. She certainly wasn't going to be an easy catch, but that was perfectly fine with him. Benjamin Organa-Solo liked a good challenge. "Well, at least al I can say is that I tried, right? So, seeing as I will be here for a while, care to get lunch with me at least?"

"I...I can't. I'm sorry, Mr. Solo." Rey replied, now turning on her heels to began making her way towards her own cubicle.

She had to get to her office and_ quick_, she had to get away from him or otherwise she might do something she have regretted later on down the road. Also, it was only now that she was thinking about Poe. _Holy fuck_\---POE!

_ Just a friendly reminder, Rey, you have a boyfriend! You....have....a....fucking....boyfriend!_

"Wait!" Ben quickly moved around to stop her. "Hold up, just a second."

He'd clearly had come onto too strong just now and felt like a complete asshole at that point, but he tried to recover as best as he could on the situation at hand. He wasn't quite ready to let go of her....yet. 

_Asking her to lunch? What the fucking are you thinking here, Solo? You don't fucking know her! and she doesn't know you!_

"That was awfully rude of me, and I apologize; my mother raised me better than that. Besides, if she saw me right now---" He said tossing a nervous hand through his thick black hair. "Listen, I know I don't know you and you don't know me---but I'd really love to take you out to dinner sometime. This is an office setting and I know it isn't romantic by any means. Plus, I work a lot but like I said, I'd really love take you out....just for one night." 

Before Rey could reply, a woman in a bold purple two piece suit came walking over towards him. Mrs. Holdo's timing couldn't have been more impeccable, for she almost found herself wanting to say "yes", to his dinner offer. With shaky legs and a churning stomach, Rey quickly managed to slip away and make a run for her office.

She had just rounded the corner before Mr. Solo had the chance to realize where she had run off too. The effect the stranger had on her was almost unnerving. Poe had never given her the chills that Mr. Solo had.

She shook her head, regretting that she'd even agreed to walk him up. He had been so nice, so completely unexpected too. He barely knew her and two seconds after that he was already asking her to dinner.

Though the gesture has been kind and more like likely harmless—Rey knew it had been in her best interest to decline. Nonetheless, she made her way into her cubicle and set to work. She had to get Mr. Tall, Dark and Fuckable Handsome off of mind or else—he’d consume it

**********

"He was that good looking?!" Rose asked, sitting at the table at the kitchen table.

Rey placed her finger over her mouth, attempting to silence her. "Jesus, Rose, Poe's in my fucking room for crying out loud! Keep your voice down!"

Her hazel eyes darted nervously towards her bedroom door and then back to Rose again. She was quite certain that Poe was immersed in the important phone call rather than listening to his girlfriend and her best friend raving about some insanely got Greek God she had met earlier in the day.

However, nothing was ever completely off the table with Poe these days. He had the eyes and ears of a hawk and apparently could hear even through thick steel walls. Luck, however, seemed to be on their side for a change. The door to her bedroom remained closed. 

"Yes, he was that good looking. I mean like, take-your-fucking-breath-away good looking. Like want-to-strip-your-body-naked-and-let-him-devour-you-alive good looking. Certified candy-good-looking!"

Rose just laughed and then quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from bursting out laughing, which would surely have Poe come rushing into the kitchen with a very concerned facial expression.

"Sounds to me like he's....very fuckable!" She whispered. 

Rey nodded and giggled. "Sounds to me like you need to take my job position instead. I mean, I don't know. It was just....the strangest most bizarre reaction that I think I've ever had with someone, Rose. And talk about how stupid and embarrassing---at the way, I handled myself around him. A preschooler would've done a thousand times better." 

Smirking, Rose took a long sip of her glass of wine, her dark eyes sparkling. "It may make for some great sex tonight with Mr. I've-Got-Work-Stuck-So-Far-Up-My-Ass if you just keep Mr. Tall, Dark and Fuckable Handsome in mind." 

"Rose, stop it!" Rey playfully slapped her on the arm. "No more thoughts about Mr. Tall, Dark and Fuckable Handsome for me, all right? Besides...I love Poe....like to death. Besides, Mr. Tall, Dark and Fuckable Handsome will be the crowning jewel for some other girl, believe me."

"Okay if you say so, girl." Rose laughed quietly. "But you know at least you'll always have a backup waiting on instant standby." 

Before Rey could even discuss her new profound fuckable eye candy any further, Poe strolled out of the bedroom dressed in his finest suit and tie. Rey strangely forget about the stranger when she hazel eyes feasted upon his curly black hair and handsome face. To her, she was all the fuckable eye-candy she could ever need.

"Hey, where are you going? I thought we were hanging here tonight with Rose?" Rey asked, walking over and circling her arms around his waist. "I rented a really scary movie for us to watch."

He smiled as he placed his arms on her shoulders. It was easy enough for him since he was so much taller than Rey's tiny frame. "Listen, babe, I'm having dinner with a potential client tonight--someone from work. It was an unexpected call. We'll watch again another night."

Rey immediately frowned at his nonchalance behavior. That was three phone calls in the span of less than twenty-four hours. She knew his job was important to him, but ever since he took the executive position, it seemed to be taking up so much of his time.

"How many unexpected phone calls can you literally have in one day, Poe? We literally just got bad into town and they've been blowing your phone up like---like---"

After letting out an audible sigh, Rose pusher to her feet and quickly made her way out of the room. She didn't really feel like being all that present during another one of their many spats. After being present for the last six---she knew better than tp be around when things got ugly between the two of them.

"It comes with the territory and this new position, Rey. I've told you this I don't know how many times now. I need to wine and dine a client every now and again in order to gain the accounts." 

"Poe, I get that. I really, truly do but---" 

"Then what's the issue here?" He asked, the tone of his voice unfeeling. "You sound like one of those whining sorority girls from college or something. Just relax, all right? I shouldn't be back too late."

A frown immediately marred the space between her brows. All she was asking was to spend a little quality time with him and he was degrading her for pouting about it? What the actual fuck?! If anyone was being an asshole here, it was him, not her! God, he acted so much like his work-acholic mother!

"A whiny sorority girl?! What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Poe? Why did you even stop by then if you're meeting up with a "client"?

"Um, because I got the call after I got here, that's why."

"Well, then maybe you should go and sleep at your own place tonight, then." said Rey, now tossing her flats across the floor. "You're out whining and dinning these so called clients of yours like it's--it's--you've won the goddamn lottery!"

They never fought, but with him taking on this new position, things were gradually beginning to change between them and it was almost as if she was seeing Poe Dameron for the first time as he really was--power hungry and money freak. Whatever happened to that supper sweet guy she met at college? It was like he was non-existence these days and had been replaced by someone she didn't even know!

"What exactly are you trying to say here, Rey?" His voice as he eyed her. "Do you really think I'm fucking lying to you or something?"

"I have no idea, Poe! I just thought you'd be here a little more than you actually have been!" She answered, tossing her hair to one side. "Maybe....you know spend some time with me, your girlfriend of three years?! Be an actual fucking boyfriend rather than a fucking work-acholic!"

Poe cocked his head to one side, shaking his head slightly at her. She was being a total bitch or at least she was in his mind at least and he had absolutely no problem at all in telling her so. He was not afraid to hurt her feelings in the process, if he needed to and right now he felt she needed to be reminded as to whom she was speaking to.

"In case you forgotten, Rey, I spent all of last week with you at my parent's house. I have a job and I have to meet the demands of my clients even if it means I haven to spend twenty-four hours a day with them to get the job done, then I'll fucking do it. What more do you want fucking want from me?"

"That was a low blow, Poe, even for you." she breathed, her hazel eyes narrowed in his direction. "I didn't ask you to do that. I could have just stayed here with Rose, but you asked me to come with you and I did because I love you."

Poe stepped closer, lifted his right hand and gently brushed the side of her cheek. "No, you're so right. You didn't have to come with me but I knew that you would because you love me and you wanted to impress my family, most importantly my mother who you've been so scared of these past three years."

He then slid his thumb against her chin and titled it upwards so that she was staring into his eyes. He knew damn good and well, she wasn't going anywhere, that she would still be here waiting for him to come back. It was that hold upon her—knowing she’d still be there that fueled Poe’s confidence. 

"And I love you and I need you here, too. I also know that you need to understand why my job so important to me and how it will affect us in the future. Now stop the bullshit, let me go and take care of my client and I'll be back later, okay?"

Assessing and reevaluating the situation at hand, Rey nodded and swiftly kissed Poe on the cheek. He eagerly accepted her advance and grabbed her face and kissed her firmly on the lips. Groaning, he fisted his hands through her thick hair, drawing her close and pulling her into his chest. 

"All right--all right, stop before you drive me crazy." Rey spoke against his mouth once they broke apart. "Go. Go do your thing, whatever that consists of and I guess I'll see you later."

"So, if not being forced back to my apartment tonight? He smiled against her swollen lips. "If you really do insist, I guess I could always sleep back at my place...alone....in the dark cold...."

"Just stop being a smart-ass, Poe. I'll be waiting for you there when you get back."

"And I promise then you'll have my undivided attention then."

Poe laced his fingers in hers and she followed him to the door. After giving him one last kiss, Rey watched him walk out and disappear down the hallway and out of sight. When she closed the door, Rose had reemerged from her room. Sinking back down onto the couch, she patted it gently with her hand.

Rey nodded and proceeded to make her way over to sit down back down onto the couch. The very way Rey was behaving right after that little incident immediately sent up red flags in Rose’s mind. Yeah, they needed to have a little one-on-one girl talk about this particular situation. In fact, Rose felt it was way past overdue at this point---like thirty-six months overdue.

"Okay, you seriously need to like--spill it the fucking beans. What's the deal with him, woman?"

"He just seems distant all of a sudden, you know?" Rey replied with a shrug. "I sort of noticed it when we were at him parent's house back in Cali. I don't know if mother might have said something---I've never trusted her, by the way."

"Look, you know that I already cant' stand him." Rose paused for a second as she tapped her chin. "Actually, no fuck that---I _hate_ him, Rey."

Rey rolled her yes, and Rose could only laugh at this. She knew that Rey was well aware of house much distaste that Rose held against her headstrong boyfriend of three years and how much dislike he held for her as well. There was no beating around the bus, they were never going to see eye-to-eye, which was totally fine. Rose liked telling Dameron off anytime she could. 

"But....and I can't believe I am even saying this, in his defense, and only because my sister Paige works in the same office as him, they really do have to take care of potential accounts whenever they show up."

"Yeah, but is Paige out every five seconds taking care of these people?"

"No, she's not, but I guess Poe is more of an aggressive broker than the rest of them, but also you have to consider he's an executive now." said Rose. "Considering he's an asshole, I wouldn't be all that surprised."

"Okay, my dear precious sister, enough of cutting him down." Rey said with a shake of her head. "Besides, maybe--maybe I'm just overreacting. I don't know. I guess between trying to adjust to his new job title and impressing his mom, my brain's shortcuriting."

Rose placed her hand on Rey's left shoulder, her black eyes softening with sympathy. She didn't want to say what she was really thinking in order to prevent Rey from getting even more upset, but the truth was--and she meant this with all sincerity too. Little Miss Rey Johnson should have dumped his arrogant ass a long time ago and ran off with Mr. Tall, Dark and Fuckable Handsome the second they laid eyes on one another.

I mean, what really did she have to lose? He had already asked her out to dinner anyways? She might as well have taken him at his word and just went to see what he was really all about. No doubt, he would probably he back in the picture and try this attempt again.

"It's such a shitload to take in all at once, I know, love. I couldn't even imagine going through it myself." Rose pulled her close and gave her tight hug. "But you're a strong woman, Rey, and you'll get through this. I know you will."

"Thanks, Rose, really. I really don't know what I would do without you."

"Okay, now you're just getting over-dramatic, girlfriend and besides what are best friends for?!" Rose laughed.

She then proceeded to put in the DVD that Poe and Rey were meant to watch pressed play on the remote. As far as she was concerned, the could have fun without Poe's tight-wad ass being present. Luckily, she had already managed to make some popcorn before Rey had arrived and quickly settled down next to her bestie on the couch.

Who the fuck needs him anyways?

"Let's lighten this dreadful mood by watching that horror film you were promised. To a certified ladies' night with out the asshole men in our lives!"

"To that!" said Rey, laughing as she reached into the metal bow and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

****


	2. Chapter 2

Rey woke the next morning, her slumberous gaze mesmerized by Poe's sleeping body. Ugh, she clearly had gone back to his place sometime before crashing. She rested her head against his warm chest and her mind began to drift over their relationship as a whole.

As with anyone, he was full of quirks. She knew that with time, she would get used to them, but in the meantime, this new fast-paced lifestyle he was living was becoming somewhat of a challenge for her.

At first, their differences hadn't seemed all that big because their relationship grew and blossomed into her world. Now, that she was coexisting into his, there appeared to be a lot more that she needed to accept: his overbearing and controlling mother, his insane new job, the long hours it required---those were just some to list.

Being a trophy girlfriend wasn’t on her top-ten list of goals, and yet here she was. Ever since she started dating Poe he really seemed to have pushed her into that role. When she’s gone out with him, he paraded her around to the very few friends of his she had met.

Immediately, even then she would quickly notice this possessive shift in his usual cheerful demeanor.

At first it was sort of cute—in a boyfriend kind of way—but most of the time it left her feeling confused and him overbearing. Why did he act like this sometimes? Last night had been a great example too. He was being almost controlling, telling her exactly what he knew she’d do.

Nonetheless, in that moment, as her senses began to soak in him and all the good he had done for her, Rey accepted their relationship for what it was. 

She curled up closer to him, moving a wayward strand of curly black hair away from his forehead. Despite, whatever growing feelings of dread she had held deep within her—he was still the cutest thing she had ever laid eyes upon.

Letting out a yawn, he slowly smiled at her. “Well, your up awfully early. I came in late last night to kiss you but you were already fast asleep.” 

His deep voice was husky from just waking yo, but she didn’t mind. He has come back to her as he promised he would. She began to think her overall behavior last night has been quite silly. I don’t know what I was so afraid of. He’s here, he’s in this bed and he’s with me! 

“I wanted so much to have done a good sexing job but you were in quite the coma.” 

Playfully nuzzling her nose in the crook of his arm, she smiled against him. God, he was so warm and she so helplessly in love with him. Often she wondered how she could manage to her so lucky? He was amazing, Poe. 

“If you had tried to sex me into a coma, too would never be to be with me again, babe.” said Rey in a sarcastic tone. 

“I’d still take it from you, coma or not.”

“All right, Poe, now that’s just sick.” Rey giggled, sitting up in the bed.

A sinister predatory glimmer sparkled in his dark, black eyes. Rey knew that look all too well. It was his usual “business” look which told her that Poe was on a mission with one goal in mind and he was going to get it, come hell or right water.

However, Rey was not always a mere pushover—she wanted him to be able to earn his award not to just take it for his own selfish reasons. 

“So...do you think we could possibly slip in a quickie before you trot off to that job of yours?” Poe asked, casually pushing Rey’s dark hair over her shoulder. 

“Do you really think you deserve it after last night’s behavior?”

“Listen, is I promise to behave...”

“Poe Dameron!” Rey warned as she narrowed her gaze at him. She wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easy. 

Besides, bribery was not a way to her heart. She had how that after nearly three years of dating, he would have at least remembered that much. Apparently, he still needed a reminder and luckily she knew exactly what cards to play.

She leaned up and licked his lips which, immediately got his attention. 

“I think I need a nice hot shower first.” said Rey seductively as she rose from the bed. 

Unable to say no to her, he followed without a fight as she undressed them both before they reached the gigantic bathroom they shared. She propped herself up onto the vanity and watched with bated breath as he turned on the water.

Rey felt the edgy energy radiating from his body as he strolled over towards her, wearing that sexy boyish grin that always melted her at her core. He pulled her to him and kissed her so softly she felt her own lips shivering against his.

She wasn't able to free herself from the hypnotic spell that was his kiss even if she wanted to. With his hands smoothing everywhere, branding his hot melting touch against her skin, fervor fueled in her blood, making her body strain for even more.

He shifted his mouth to the valley between her breasts and slid his hot, wading tongue across her nipple. It drove her wild. Staring up at her, he sucked and twirled his tongue around it's taunt peak.

"P-Poe!" She gasped at the feel of his warm, mouth against her body. 

Now this was the Poe Dameron she had met back in college, the one that was able to make both her hands and toes curl under the bed sheets, the one she would do practically anything for. Fucking hell, he was so damn good at this and he knew just the right amount of pressure to apply and where!

It was almost as if he was able to read her body signals without even asking her! _Damn, he knows me so well!_

"You like that, don't you?"

"Yes!" She breathed as her hands gripped and tugged at his thick mane of black hair. 

With a slow, maddening pace, he moved his hands from her breasts and tunneled his fingers inside her wet pussy. FUCK! The pressure was both excruciating and yet also a wonderful correlation with the sudden tightening sensation between her toned legs.

He pushed harder against her mouth while she raked her fingers down his back. Poe groaned when she ran her hands across his broad chest, her fingers slowly sliding their way down every muscled ridge of his lower abdomen.

Distinctly, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into the scalding hot shower. 

He immediately backed her against the chilly tile and she let out a gasp of pleasure as when she felt him sinking perfectly deep inside her. Her every nerve ending lit on fire as their bodies melded together as one.

"Fucking "A" Christ, you feel so damn good, Rey!" He hissed, his voice thick of desire and lust. 

"F-Fuck me, Poe!" 

Rey clung onto his shoulders as the hot water trickled down their bodies. The ache she had for him increased with every pulse and thrust he made.

With their lips locked, Rey clenched her legs that much tighter around his waist and arched her body against his, taking literally everything that he possibility had to give. Poe's eyed dilated when her felt her hot, slick flesh contract tightly around him.

Rey moaned out in satisfaction completion when she felt Poe jerk, shudder and tremble against her.

Burying his face into the crook of her neck, he let out a guttural growl as he climaxed---pulling himself out at the last second and splattering his sticky, hot cum all over the tile walls and her lower abdomen only to moan in defeat as he watched it disappear down the drain. 

Rey was very ambient when it came to their sexual encounters. While she was on birth control she had made it quite clear to him in the beginning that when he was about to cum he had better pull out or risk having his dick cut off.

And no offense, he was pretty attached to that most sacred part of him.

When he pulled back, their gazes met and instantly locked onto one another, holding steady as their breathing began to slow down after such a heated and exhilarating union. He then leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"I love you, Rey." He said as he gently placed her back down and pulled her close to his chest. "I'm so happy that you're here with me."

"I love you, too and I just wanted to say how sorry for the way that I acted towards you last night before you left. I guess, sometimes, I forget how important this new position is to you."

"You are forgiven." He said giving her a soft grin.

They spent the next half hour washing each other. Poe playfully ran soap up and down all over her body, and Rey returned the gesture when she gently cleaned his back. She realized what he'd said the night before was indeed, correct, though she just hadn't want to admit it out loud then.

She needed to be her with him. She loved him. There wasn't a single fiber in her soul that told her she ought to be anywhere else but here....with him.

Considering, now that they didn't have time to go out and get their normal breakfast together, Rey wound up cooking for them. After cleaning up, Poe quickly left for work and like last night said that he would be going out to dinner with yet another client.

Rey tried to take this in strides as best that she could, but still, she could do nothing more but accept that this would probably become the new norm for them. However, there was no time to dwell on the issue, because she had her own career to think about as well and everything was hanging on the balance with this Mr. Solo.

Yeah, Mr. Tall, Dark and Fuckable. She hadn't completely forgotten about him since their last encounter and now that she seemed to be thinking on it more and more, it was almost as if he had made it so she couldn't have forgotten about him.

** ********

Rey stood at the main counter in the lobby, placing some important documents into the tin basket when suddenly her ink pen rolled off the counter and onto the floor. She knelt down to retrieve it, but before she could, the stranger's large hands reached for it.

"Oh, thank you so much." Rey said, still crouched over onto the floor. "I appreciate it. All this stupid paper work I've had to file for that new merger, Mr. Solo. Have you...."

Her voice trailed off when she made eye contact with the stranger. It was Mr. Benjamin Solo. All handsome as ever from the elevator. Her breath caught sight of him casually kneeling there next to her on the floor. She literally had to hold onto the vinyl desk for balance as she slowly stood up and he followed in pursuit.

He was even better looking than she remembered, still in an three piece tailored suit of course..._.black._

This really must be his signature color---for she hadn't seen him in anything else. Not less than twenty-four hours could erase his image from her memory, but now he was just so there, so male, and so enthralling. He sparked that all-too-familiar tingle across her skin---the way Poe did. 

Ben's lips curled upwards into a smile. "You don't look all that happy to see me, Miss Johnson." 

"I'm just a little....I...um..." Rey struggled to find her words.

Ben wasn't about to admit that his need to see her again and so soon had been intense---so fucking intense that he had actually canceled a meeting with a large account back at First Order Holdings in the hopes of swinging by to catch her at work. True, the deal was still in motion but it was the perfect excuse to see her. 

"You ran away so quickly yesterday that I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to you."

"Ooohhh," Rey elongated the word, quickly trying to think of something to say since he seemed to wipe her clear of any rational thoughts. "Right....yeah, about the way I left yesterday... I'm really sorry about that. I was actually, really behind on some work and..."

"And you had to get it done." He nodded, catching on what she was trying to say. "No, I get it. This is New York, after all. Everyone has deadlines and quotas to meet Time slows down for no one, not even for someone like me."

Ben flicked his gaze to her beautiful lips and smiled at the nervous reaction she was giving to him. Seeing as they were standing close to the coffee station, he asked if she wanted to grab a cup before he had to head into the conference meeting.

He was rather surprised to hear that she had agreed.

"Do you take cream or sugar in that?"

He cocked his head to one side, just staring helplessly at her as she began pouring both herself and him two cups of coffee. 

"Do you?" He asked.

"What?"

"Take cream or sugar into your coffee?"

Rey had to admit she felt rather thrown off by this question, about a lot of the things he has said to her since they had first met. He might be handsome, but he was rather strange in his ways. 

"Why do you want to know little things like that about me, Mr. Solo? I'm literally like the most boring individual you could ever meet." 

Ben paused, a grin softening his mouth. "Well, for starters, I do not think you are boring in the slightest and secondly, I'm just trying to find out as much as I possibly can about you. I figured that coffee was an easy enough topic to for us to conqueror. I might have been wrong on that, though."

A light laughed quickly escaped from Rey's lips, to which, Ben found so uplifting. "That does seem a little stalkerish of you, don't you think?"

"Mmm....a stalker. That's a new one I must say and pretty brutal coming from you." He laughed, and his amusement lit up his eyes. "I prefer to call it curiosity, Miss Johnson."

She just shook her head and smiled as she then held out several sugar and Splenda packets out before him "Okay, have it your way then, but you still haven't answer my question. Do you take cream or sugar into your coffee?"

"And you haven't answered my question." He said arching one perfect brow. "Do you take cream or sugar in yours?"

This back and forth banter---it was the most fun Rey Johnson had ever had, and most importantly, it was with someone she barely knew. Not even Poe was even to make a conversation this interesting even if it was over a simple matter as coffee. 

Feeling certain she wasn't going to win this battle, she eventually gave into his demands. 

"Yes, actually, I do." 

"Ah, you see, opposites do attract. Perfect." He said leaning forward to take the cup coffee from her hands. "I'll take mine black, please." 

Rey just blinked up at him, taking in his sensual for a few more seconds. She turned away and strode over towards the small table nestled in the window---she needed a second to breathe after all of that. Goddamn, he was so fucking hot!

Once again she had to tell remind herself that she had a boyfriend like it was endless broken record!! 

"So, you said you had my files---did you find anything interesting in them?" Ben asked moving over to join her.

"If you mean looking through stuff that I'm not even one hundred and ten perfect sure about---then---no, not really." Rey answered with a slightly shrug of her shoulders.

Well, she was being honest, he had to give her that. Then again, he wasn't even sure what contents were in those files either. It was just his job to bring them to Mrs. Holdo to look over---clearly, she hadn't been doing that. Hmm, Snoke wouldn't be all that pleased to hear that when he arrived back to the office later in the evening.

"Eh, I can respect that." said Ben a few moments later. "Not every document is a page turner, but uh....you think I could possibly get one that contains your name and number on it?" 

Damn him and those lips, Rey thought. They really were becoming quite a distraction just as he was starting to become a problem. Trying to act as if she was unriveted by his question, she quickly got to her feet and poured the rest of her coffee down the drain. 

"Unfortunately, my number isn't available to be given, Mr. Solo, but perhaps one of my other female coworkers could be some help in that department." 

Ben didn't take his eyes off of Rey, not even for fraction of a second. He knew this game and how to play his cards exceptionally well and he wasn't about to give up so easily. If Miss Johnson thought she was off the hook she had another thing coming. 

"I'm not interested in your other "female" coworkers, Miss Johnson." He answered evenly, now reaching for a pen out of his coat-pocket and piece of paper and sliding it across the table towards her. 

"How can you possibly know that you're not interested when you haven't even had the opportunity to meet any of them yet?" 

Ben smirked at this and slowly leaned in closer towards her, closer than what really ought to have been allowed given to Rey's strict boundaries. But all evident function seemed to have been disabled by that sinful mouth of his and the way he was staring at her.

"I know I'm not interested in any of them because the only woman in Manhattan whose name and number that I want is standing right in front of me right now." 

Rey shifted, her breath catching in the back of her throat. God, she could not believe that he was doing this and with her of all people. There were plenty of beautiful, sophisticated, young women in this city he could choose from. Why her? _Why me?!_

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I have a boyfriend....three years, actually."

"I already assumed you did." He replied, causally shrugging. "It would seem almost impossible for you not to have one as beautiful as you are."

"So you assumed I did and yet you're still asking me for my name and number?"

With a stroke of his burning haze shifting to her left hand, he smiled. "Yes, but as far as I can tell, there's no ring on your finger and while there's no ring on you're finger, there may still be hope for me yet." 

"Oh, so you're basically saying that you';re a cheater? That's wonderful to hear." She stated, eyeing him incredulously. 

"I've said no such thing, Miss Johnson." He laughed. 

Man, she knows how to play hardball. I fucking like that in a woman---now if only she could just give me a damn name and phone number, I might just be able to get somewhere with this woman, boyfriend or not boyfriend. 

Smiling, she tilted her head to the side and gaped up at him. "Well, you're just assuming that I would cheat on my boyfriend of three years to go out on a date with you, so yeah that right there makes you a cheater and I do not associate with men like you." 

"Men like me, huh? You see, that's where you got it all wrong." said Ben quickly. "I was rather hoping that you'd break up with your boyfriend and go out on a date with me. See, that right there, makes me an honest man."

"Honest, no. Conceited, yes." 

"Eh, I prefer to use the term hopeful." He added, still studying way she was nervously biting down on her lip. _Yeah, you just keep doing that, Miss Johnson, it's really fucking turning me on right now! _"So with that in mind, can I at least your first name, if anything?"

"Kaydel. My name is Kaydel" 

Rey wasn't exactly comfortable in giving him her exact real name for personal reasons. He seemed nice, but also that stalkerish vibe hadn't completely left her subconscious just yet, so she threw in one of her coworkers and prayed that he wouldn't discover the truth before the meeting was out. 

"At last....a real name." He smiled.

"Hey, sorry to break up this little party session here, but you're needed in Mrs. Holdo's office." 

"O-Okay, thanks, Paige. I'll be right there."

Rey unwillingly tore her attention away from Ben. She sauntered out of the lounge and down the narrow hallway towards Mrs. Holdo's blessing. Once again, she had been saved by the boss.

Telepathically, she would need to thank her for this---otherwise---there was no telling as to what might have happened had they carried on with this conversation.

Names, phone numbers, invitation to dinners---it was just all too much, too soon.

"Here, why don't you take this before you go." Ben said reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. 

Rey quickly saw him reaching for a business card and the ink pen he had used to ask for her phone number and he immediately began scribbling some words onto the backside. When he was finished, he reached for her hand and placed the card into the palm of her hand faced down so that the blank side with his message was facing up at her.

"Call me if you ever change your mind....this my number you can reach me at."

Rey let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding at this point. She sighed, furious with herself as she tried to brush thoughts of him out of her head. It was literally no use at this point. He had managed to invade every corner of her mind and wasn't showing any signs of leaving anytime soon.

_Fuck him! Fuck him and all his gorgeousness!_

She couldn't deny she found him beyond attractive; she'd been startled into staring the first time she saw him.

There was something so mysterious about his eyes, which were a shade of amber they almost begged her to submit to him, obey him, and to do some of the naughtiest things with him that her mind could conjure up.

Maybe it was the curve of his cheek-bones, which feel slightly short of being almost too high. Possibly it was the smooth, raspy tone of his baritone voice, which basically disarmed her every cognitive thought the first time he had spoken to her.

Of course he has a bedroom voice to go with those beautiful, dark, lustful bedroom eyes of his. Yes, he was definitely a fuckable, bedroom-voice-and-eyes bearing specimen. Fuckable or not, Rey knew she'd have to resist as long as her bloody sanity ruled over her subconscious.

_Don't look at his number, don't look at his number, don't you dare look at his fucking number, Rey!_

This was the battle she was dealing with as she began to make her way back towards Holdo's office and regrettably she was losing....terribly.

Against every sexual demon in her head screaming at the top of their lungs for her to go for it, she threw the card into the nearest trashcan, feeling her fingers tingling from it's absence the second it fell from her hands.

Finally, she felt that she was free at last from Mr. Solo's grip....or so she had thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next few days, Rey reluctantly finished up the last bit of paperwork which sealed the deal that her company would be merging with First Order Holding's in a month's time. She was even more glad that Mr. Solo and all his equal male-hotness hadn't come trailing back into the office either.

According to Mrs. Holdo his part of the deal was complete.

Thank God, I don't think my underwear would have been able to handle one more day with him there! Rey thought to herself as she slumped into bed later that evening. It was her night to stay over at Rose's place and she was thankful because she quite honestly needed a little break from, well, everything at this point.

"Why don't you come out with me and Finn tomorrow night. It'll do justice to your mood after the week you've had." 

Sighing, Rey tossed her hand through her hair. "Honestly, Rose, I really just want to relax the night away." She then picked up the bottle of red wine that was sitting down by her feet. "Plus, I plan on polishing this bad boy off."

"Okay, but if for some reason if you ever change your mind, just let me know." Rose said, bending over to kiss Rey on the forehead. 

Glancing over at the clock on her bedside table, Rey noticed that it was a quarter past ten. Poe should have already been here by now and she began to wonder if another late-night meeting had held him up. Her thoughts didn't have far to stray because he ended up calling her nearly half an hour later.

Party music blared in the background and the shrieks and cheers told her that he most definitely was not at work.

Strangely, he was called from a club in SoHo, celebrating a new account he had just opened and insisted that meet up with him and some of his new friends, meaning his clients. Rey tried to argue that she was exhausted after a rather long day and had already settled in for the night, but he wouldn't relent. 

She could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice as it traveled through the phone. _Better to just do what he says, Rey, than argue any further on the matter. Go, just suck it up and go! _

Sighing, Rey succumbed to his urgent demands and began dragging herself towards Rose's bedroom to inform her that she was reluctantly going out. No doubt, she would get a mouth-full after this from her best friend, but she would deal with that later after she had dealt with Poe. 

_It can't be her_, Ben thought. He rubbed his palm over his face, staring across the dimly lit club in her direction. Fuck, it was though. Kaydel, the girl who never called him back. Kaydel, the girl who tugged at his every sense, fiber, and primal male instinct.

Kaydel, the girl who looked even more ravishing in that cute little black dress than he could've ever imagined. Ben watched her move across the club through the endless dancing bodies pressed tightly against one another.

His eyes feasted upon her chestnut hair spilling over her shoulders and onto that tight little black dress than just fell above her knees. The perfect amount of cleavage and neck burned a hole into his mind, awakening his undeniable, primal urge to claim her a hundred pair of eyes watching.

His dark eyes devoured her legs--sleep, long and quite shapely--which came to rest in black heels. Raking his hands through his hair, Ben couldn't help but feel a quickening in his heart as she approached. He went to move towards her, talk to her, breathe in her scent, but a modest cough behind him from Poe broke his gaze from hers.

"Hey, I see you looking, Solo, but she's mine." Poe remarked, a crooked smile twisting across his lips.

Ben's mouth fell open as if to speak, but nothing seemed to come out. His amber eyes immediately sung over to the beautiful young woman who had invaded his world just two a day ago and then shifted back towards Poe again. _Wait....was that? Oh, fuck!_

"Wait....that's...._that's_ Rey?" Ben asked, confusion peppering his facial expression. 

"Yeah man. I told you she was fucking gorgeous, didn't I?" Poe said, mentioning for Rey to hurry up.

She immediately froze and stood rooted to the spot a few away and Ben immediately knew why. Ben took a look pull from his beer, a lump suddenly forming in his throat as he leaned against the bar. Unable to look away, he maintained eye contact with the woman his--no, _his_ best friend had just proclaimed was his.

Chewing her lip, Rey tried to keep her panic at bay and when saw Mr. Tall, Dark and Fuckable Handsome standing next to Poe. Automatically, the air around her seemed to thicken tenfold. Her balance was knocked askew with ever single solitary step that she took towards the bar counter.

_No, no, no, no, it can't be--it just can't be! There's literally no way they could possibly know each other. This is Manhattan, for Christ's Sake, _Rey thought to herself.

Her heart seemed to pound harder the closer she got. A curious but yet boyish rounded Ben's lips and a kiss of a dimple indented both cheeks. His piercing amber eyes were intense and unblinking. Rey's gaze flickered down to his chest, the planes of his pectorals were visible under his denim blue shirt.

If it was possible, he looked even more handsome while relaxed in casual attired than he did in a three piece suit. His eyes seemed to delve into her and smother every bit of oxygen from her lungs, leaving her to suffocate.

Taking a long, cleansing breath, Rey finally reached the two men, trying to focus solely on Poe.

Poe pulled her by the waist and into his body and placed a rather exaggerated kiss on her lips, which Ben, unfortunately had to bare witness. After ordering her a drink, Poe shifted her in front of him, positioning her back against his chest.

She had a close-up view of the stranger when Poe finally spoke after brief minutes of silence. God, this was already awkward enough. Couldn't they just skip the whole introduction part and get a check?

"Ben Solo, this is my girlfriend, Rey Johnson. Rey Johnson, this is my best friend, Benjamin Solo." 

Unable to pull his eyes from hers, Ben reached down tentatively and drew her hand to lips firm, plump red lips. Kissing it softly, he hesitated, almost absorbing the heat radiating from her porcelain-like skin. Reluctantly, he realized he was probably make a scene and finally let go of it. 

"The pleasure's most definitely all mine, _Rey._"

Inwardly marveling at the way Ben's slight stubble felt against her knuckles, Rey gave him a curt nod and smiled. "Indeed, it is finally nice to meet you, Ben. Poe's talked about you a lot....thought he never actually mentioned your name."

"Likewise." said Ben, smiling down at her.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Poe asked Ben.

Averting her gaze to the floor, Rey flushed, embarrassed by the suddenly comment. Nonetheless, she grinned, trying regain her bearing from the shock of this whole event coursing throughout her body. Ben's gaze dropped to the mouth, those ruby-red lips fascinating every square inch of him.

He shifted eyes back to hers, which were a variation of green meting into gold. She's so beautiful, he thought. Drawing his lower up roughly through his teeth Ben let his words hang. "You're a very lucky man, Poe, truly. What I wouldn't for something as beautiful as she is."

"Yep, I count myself very, very lucky---I honestly don't know what I'd do without her." said Poe, tossing back the last bit of his whisky on the rocks. "Come dance with me, babe." 

He caught Rey by her hips and literally all but dragged her out onto the dance floor with the busy crowd. Knowing she shouldn't, Rey risked a glance back at Ben as they walked away. Ben tried to maintain his cool when she peered over her shoulder to look back at him.

He carefully watched the way Poe held her close to his body and the irrefutably loving way she responded to his touch. Even more, he watched the way she stared into Poe's eyes, giving him her complete undivided attention. He _hated_ it---he _fucking hated_ it.

Ordering another beer, Ben fought back the urge to walk straight out onto the dance floor, knock his friend out, and pull her into his arms where he knew she belonged. As if his mind couldn't register anyone else, Ben brushed off countless of women who approached him.

He knew he was in uncharted territory and his thoughts were becoming irrational, considering that Poe was his best friend, but he felt as if Rey had some sort of sick pull on him. These new emotions had him at odds with his body and his mind.

And Ben did not like one tiny bit.

**********

Eventually, Poe walked up to Ben when Rey had excused herself and disappeared into the restroom. He leaned against the bar, an irreverent smile breaking out across his youthful face. The urge to punch Poe square right in the face lingered, heavier now than it had been before.

Ben could only guess it was due to the fact that Poe was standing next to him rather than dancing with the girl of his friends half-way across the room.

"You're wishing that you were me aren't you, buddy?

Ben couldn't feeling that stab of jealousy, but this wasn't something he was about to confess out loud, let along to his best friend of over sixteen odd years. But he was however, going to divulge on one aspect of this whole façade. 

"No, but I am just wondering how you were able to pull that one off, pal."

It wasn't a question, but rather a statement on Ben's part. Poe, usually hung around with crowds of insanely beautiful women that were far wilder than Rey seemed to be. So, yes, he did find it a little strange that this was who he had chosen to spend all his time with.

Poe threw his head back and laughed as he ordered yet another shot of tequila. He was a trip, Ben, was.

"You really seem to think you're the only God in this city who is able to get a woman as beautiful as Rey is."

"I'm no, God, Poe, and I know you're certainly not one either." Ben remarked, propping his harm on the rolled leather edge of the bar. "But I do know you need to take extra special care of a woman like that."

Poe started flexing his hips in a back and forth motion. "Oh, I'm taking care of it, all right. Trust me, bud, she has no complaints whatsoever in that particular department. In fact, we got a good fuck in the shower just this morning."

"I didn't mean it like that." Ben snapped, trying to rid the thought completely from his mind. He then smoothed his voice out to a much calmer tone. "Be good to her, seriously."

Cocking his head to the side, Poe furrowed his brows. Was his best friend really giving him a lecture on how to treat a woman? Last time he checked, he was the one dating Rey, not him.

"Since when did you become so worried about how I treat a woman, Mr. Noncommitment? You literally will fuck anything that attempts to throw itself at you, and they're lucky if they even get a call from you the next day."

"We're not talking about me here, Poe." said Ben, speaking more seriously now. "Like, I said, take good care of her."

"Wow, the big-bad Benjamin Organa-Solo is trying to teach me how to treat a woman! This is quite hysterical, really!" Poe swallowed his drink and slammed his glass down. "Trust me, pal, I got this. I plan on marrying this one. You'll see and just to torture you, you're going to be invited to be my best man." 

Poe shook his head and laughed but recovered quickly as his expression tightened. He didn't like people tell him what to do, or how to run the show. As far as he was concerned, he was in complete control of this relationship and knew darn good and well, Rey Johnson wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Like I said earlier, bud, she's mine. You get enough as it is wherever you go."

Before Ben could respond to that, Rey approached. Poe handed her a beer, and she automatically smiled. "Thanks. So, what you were you guys talking about while I was away?"

Ben figured he would play along with this little game since Poe was clearing in a mood for taunting him tonight. His eyes concentrated on the curve of Emily's jaw before locking onto hers. 

"I was just wondering how my best friend here landed such a beautiful woman. He obviously doesn't know that he's complete out of his league here."

Rey felt the way Ben stared at her. His eyes seemed to sink into hers, making her want to bare every emotion she possessed and every secret into his. _What a dangerous talent for a man's eyes to posses,_ she thought.

She started to speak, but Poe's voice broke through the defeating music. "Fuck you, Solo, and your comment. Out of my league? Please, you wish!"

Ben casually sank into the seat at the bar next to him. "Yes, very out of your league."

A sleazily grin curled Poe's lips. "Whatever makes you sleep better tonight, man, but no matter what you say, she's still leaving with me and sleeping in my bed."

_Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!_ Poe glanced down an incoming text and turned to where Rey stood, mortified at the conversation that had just now taken place in front of her. _Damn it, Solo! Damn you!_

"Fuck, listen, Armitage 's on his way, babe. I need to use the restroom right quick, but don't let this clown fool you while I'm gone. He's a complete player."

He dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek and briskly walked away. Ben watched Rey carefully, silence stretching between them as she sipped on her beer. Her felt her eyes on him, nervous little looks that tugged at ever rational instinct he had left.

Each time her gaze met his, he wanted to own it and live in it forever. He wondered if she had felt the connection between them when he'd kissed her hand earlier. He hoped so--for it was killing him now to just stand there next to her and simple do nothing. Ben took a long pull from his beer trying to ease the dryness in his mouth.

"You lied to me, you know." He murmured.

Hearing him speak again took her completely off guard, but this was something she couldn't escape from, not now that Poe had left them completely alone. Fuck, she had been hoping to avoid the awkwardness of this conversation as a whole. In fact, she wished she was still on the dance floor with Poe right now.

"So, Kaydel, tell me are you enjoying being back in New York?"

Knowing this was coming, Rey just laughed at his question. "Yes, I am, actually, stalker boy. Thanks so much for asking. You should know something right here and now, the whole stalker part may be questionable, but I have to be honest, I've heard otherwise about you being the player and all."

Rey bit her, realizing how horribly offensive those last words must've sounded to him. Even so, it was the truth. While Rose and Poe weren't all that lovely-dovey round each other on a normal basis, she had told her stories of Poe's rich mystery friend, who was indeed a ladies' man and all.

She had also wanted Rey that once she had met him, it would take everything in her not to rip off his shirt and watch each of the buttons scatter on the floor, along with her sexual inhibition. Yep, he's completely fuckable, for sure!

Shifting in his seat, Ben flashed her a smile. "And who did you hear that from, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My best friend and roommate, Rose Tico."

"Mhmm, you must not know her as well as you think you do, then." he replied, motioning for the bartender to bring them yet another round of drinks. At this point, Poe was going to have to carry her back to the apartment---for she was starting to feel a little buzzed. 

"No, I think you're the one who is confused here, Solo. She's been my best friend and my roommate since college, and plus I sort of live with her now---I stay with Poe on the weekends at his place. Not to mention I consider her to be a reliable source, even if she and Poe don't exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things, but hey, to each their own."

"Forgive me and my horrible memory, Miss Johnson. That's right; that's right. You're Rey and not Kaydel who actually is your coworker." He smirked, tossing a hand through his thick mane of black hair. "But of course you know, Rose."

She scoffed at this remark but smiled up at him nonetheless. "Yes, my real name is Rey. We've established that, but how come I still have this feeling that you'll never me live that down?"

A sly delicious grin suddenly formed across his lips. _God, he is so fucking hot! Damn it and those succulent lips of his!_

"Aha-ah, I may or may not, but that's for me to know and for you to find out, isn't it? So, I have to ask now---seeing as my curiosity is somewhat peaked and all, what did Rose have to say about me?"

Amused by her quick-witted response, Ben hung his head and laughed. His features softened as he stared longingly into her eyes, wishing already that she was his to possess, his to love, his to explore. He wanted it so badly it was beginning to ache in his core.

"Ah-ha, that's for me to know and for you to find out, Mr. Solo."

"Well, getting off topic here and all, but in my defense, the whole player thing's a huge misconception. I guess, I just haven't found the right women for me yet."

"Well, you know there seems to be an awful lot of ladies here right now who seem to want to your attention." said Rey, with a sweep of her hand, gesturing towards a group of women sitting at the end of the bar noticeably glancing over in his direction. "I'd say you have a pretty decent pick, if you ask me."

Although he had tried in vain, he just couldn't pull her eyes away from her. He just stared at Rey, wanting to let her know---again---that the only woman he clearly wanted was already taken by another man. A man, whom he couldn't cross even if he wanted too. _Again, why did she have to be Poe's girlfriend? Why?_

"Unfortunately, most of them are only interested in one thing, especially by coming to the bar with a bunch of their girlfriends."

"Isn't that what all guys wants anyway?" Rey asked, confusion knitting her brows.

"Not quite, but I do like the way you think." He said studying the way she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. He liked it far more than he should. "No, seriously, though, I don't want to come off like some sort of conceited asshole here, but there's a fine line between me and my money."

His remark struck an odd cord with Rey. She knew he had money---the whole fucking city did, practically. However, to assume women were after him strictly for his bucket loads of cash was indicative if some sort of insecurity. 

"Oh, so your saying, In your eyes every woman's a gold digger?" She remarked, drawing the bottle of beer to her mouth as she leaned causally into her seat.

Ben tried hard to focus on her eyes rather than her lips, but she was certainly not making it easy. The urge to take a hold of her arm, shove her up against the wall and show her exactly what he was made of---_fuck, I want it, Rey! I want you!_

"No, it's not that all. That totally came out the wrong way, fuck, I apologize. It's just....hard these days to tell who's real and who's not. I want a woman who wants me, all of me, with or without my money."

He flashed a sheepish grin in her direction, hoping this sudden act of pure honesty coming from him make her see he was a good guy and that it would push her closer towards him. 

"And, for some reason, I seem to attract the all-beauty-and-no-brains type, too."

"Oh." Rey shifted in her seat, embarrassed by her assumption. She tried to deflect her earlier statement. "Sounds to me then like you're trolling in all the wrong places, buddy."

"Apparently, I do. So, where is it you said you hang out these days?" 

"I didn't--but thanks for trying again." she quipped, tilting her beer to her lips, allowing herself to hold his gaze a little longer than necessary. "You some advice, maybe you should search for women at the library? That would definitely take care of the no-brains problems you seem to have."

"You know something---you're a pretty funny girl, Rey." he remarked, shifting his body to face hers. "And you know I'm really, really, starting to regret the idea that Poe managed to get his hands on you...first."

Rey's heart skidded across her chest at his declaration. It was a completely and total surprise, but one she probably should have expected hearing from him. Before she could answer, however, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and assumed it was probably Poe back from the restroom.

She turned around and saw Hux flashing his award-wining smile, this thick blond hair falling onto his forehead.

"I'm here! Let the party begin!" He hooted, slapping his hand on Ben's shoulder. He gave Rey a quick hug and inched his way between the two of them to order himself a drink. "It's going to be a bender tonight!"

Rey smiled, happy to see Hux. She'd grown close to him over the last few months. Besides, due to the fact that he was Rose's co-worker, he was also an all-around good guy. Even before she'd moved to New York with Poe, he called in often to check in on her to make sure she was doing okay. Hux glanced around the club from behind his black-rimmed glasses, immediately searching the crowd for Poe.

"So there the fuck has Poe gotten off too?" he asked, now accepting his drink from the bartender.

"I think he must have feel into the toilet, serves him right." Ben smirked, motioning towards the restrooms just behind Hux.

"Yeah, that sounds like something he would probably do, especially if he's drunk enough." Hux joked. "So, tell me, how have you been, man? Feels like it's been forever---how's the job?"

"I'm good, actually. Just closed up a merge with Rey's company here yesterday so thinks are going great, actually." Ben answered, gazing at her from the corner of his eye every few seconds.

"Hey are you still having your annual Fourth of July party at your parent's house?" Hux asked.

"Oh absolutely." Ben answered. "I'm actually heading out there this weekend to get everything in order. My parents will be out of town that week anyways, so we can stay out and party all we want to without disturbing anyone."

Hux turned to Rey, who clearly wasn't paying any attention to the conversation. His laughing green eyes were wide with excitement. Damn, this girl seemed to be a daze a lot here lately--what's up with her?

"You're going, right, Rey?"

She looked puzzled as she scanned the club, knowing that Poe had been gone for quite some time. She was really starting to believe that maybe he had indeed fell into the toilet and was about to go and check on him when she felt Hux tapping her on the shoulder. Distinctly, she turned around just as he asked her if she was going to Ben's party.

"Going where?" 

"Ben's party in the Hamptons on the Fourth of July. Didn't Poe mention it to you when you guys got back the other day? He's been talking of nothing else for months!"

She shrugged her shoulders at this, bringing her full attention back towards Ben and Hux. "He hasn't mentioned it to me---in fact, with everything that went down last week, I'm surprised he's even had time, but it sounds like fun. I'm sure we'll stop by."

Poe's voice broke through the conversation at that moment. He leaned in to kiss Rey's cheek she found his scent sincerely....appalling. Ugh, he smelled some cigarette and beer, not a good combination. "Be where? I hope these two knuckleheads weren't trying to proposition you while I was gone."

Twisting her body to face his, Rey smiled. "Oh no worries, babe; they were entertaining me. What happened, you took a while to get back? We all thought you fell in the toilet or something. Are you, okay?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I had to make a quick phone call is all--and no---I did not fall in the toilet---fucking hate you right now, Solo." 

******

"We thought you fell in, and we were exactly about to conduct a search party." said Ben, a mischievous smile growing across his face. "But don't get high on yourself; we weren't going to look too hard, you're big ass is far to easy to spot."

"Speaking of big asses you six-foot-three lug!" Poe called out, which cause both Rey and Hux to break out into fits of laughter. It was true, though, he towered over every single person within this club. 

"Wow, you guys are so brutal to each other!" Rey giggled.

"Girl you haven't seen anything yet, Rey. They are just getting warmed up." Trevor murmured, taking a long swig of his ice-cold Bud Light. 

Poe shook his head and eyed Ben with daggers in his dark eyes. "Once a wise-ass, always a wise-ass, Solo. That never fails."

Ben cocked his head from side to side and just laughed. At least, Poe was honest, he could at least give him that. He took a long pull from his beet, swung his eyes immediately over towards Rey, and then reluctantly over towards Poe once more. He wanted Rey to be at his party---he wanted to be alone with her at his party too---without Poe.

"So how about it, Poe? Are you two coming to the party?"

"Oh fuck me, man!"

"No, thanks, man I don't favor sucking dick." Ben said in a sarcastic manner. It even caused Hux to spat out his beer all over some random girl walking by, who made no distinction of all but slapping his square in the face. 

"I mean, I totally forgot about it." Poe replied, rolling his eyes. "But, of course we will be there, man! You always throw the best parties!"

Rubbing his now swollen cheek, Hux turned to Poe aghast. "What the fuck you mean you forgot?! Dude, you've been coming for the last couple of years now!"

Poe then pulled Rey close, anchoring her body in front of his---almost as if he was putting her out on full display before his friends. He then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and squeezed them tightly, causing her to wince slightly in pain.

"In case you've forgotten---I now have a girlfriend and I've been rather...distracted by her. I honestly can't seem to think of anything else these days."

Rey smiled and then noticed a beautifully groomed brunette approach the three of them. She snaked her arm around Ben's waist and panted a kiss on the corner of his mouth, which took him by complete and utter surprise.

"I thought that was you, Ben Solo!" 

She ordered a drink and let the bartender know to put it on his tab. _Who the fuck was this chick?!_

"Where the hell haven you been lately?" Her words slurred as she clung tighter and tighter to his arm, trying to keep her balance. Clearly, she had already had one drink too many at this point and was making a skeptical of herself.

"Obviously not far enough as far as I am concerned." Hux mumbled under his breath.

The woman didn't seem to hear this remark, but she didn't need to. His expression told all. Poe's eyes narrowed on the brunette standing next to his best friend. Ben clearly knew who she was and tried to play it cool. His smile was relaxed as he curled his arm around her waist, trying to hold her steady. 

"I've been busy---you know with business and stuff stuff. How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been doing great, actually. Thanks for asking." she replied, shifting her weight closer to Ben's. 

She then glanced over at Rey's direction, gaping. "Well, what do we have here? I don't think we've ever met. I mean, you're so cute! Are you one of Ben's newest little playmates?"

Rey's mouth dropped open but she said nothing, not wanting to severely insult the woman. She thought the comment was ridiculous by far, considering the fact that Poe had his arms around her. _Who the fuck is she?!_

Ben just smirked, gazing in Rey's direction. "No, no she's Poe's girlfriend. I'm trying my hardest to make a play for a girl named, Kaydel, but unfortunately, she was already taken."

At these words, Rey nervously bit down on her lip and looked away. The nice pleasant expression quickly left the woman's face as she then shot Poe a hard, cold look. Uh, no, he was in some serious, _serious_ trouble!

"Oh really? I didn't know that you were seeing anyone, Poe. Word on the street is that you're single."

Ben quickly stood up and caught the brunette by the arm just as she slumped over. Goddamn, she was drunk. Thank God, he had been there to catch her or otherwise she might have broken her nose or something else on her way down to the floor---not that Rey would have minded all that much if she had.

"Come on there, sweets. You are so gone---and we have a lot to catch up on. Take with walk with me, okay?"

He then led her out of the club, and Rey watched the way the woman stared back at her while she tried to release Ben's hold. Seriously, who was that girl and why was she staring at me like that? And what was all that talk about Poe being single?

"Who the heck was that?" REy asked, turning to face Poe.

"She's no one." he replied, giving Rey a wide-eyed smile. He then dragged a hand through his curly hair. "Just some girl he went to college with back in the day. I'm surprised she's still in Manhattan, actually."

"So, she's one of his ex-girlfriends?" Rey probed.

Hux looked over at Poe, but he didn't say another word on the subject. This was already awkward enough he felt. Wishing to keep the party going, Hux turned to the bartender and ordered himself yet another Bud-Light.

"Yeah, just some girl he used to screw around with a lot." Poe replied after order himself and Rey another series of tequila shots. "Come on, let's go and get hammered babe and then maybe later---we can cozy up together in the bed---"

Ben made his way through the crowd of sweaty, dancing bodies. Waking around the woman out for the club, he cornered her against the wall, propping his hand against it. Looking down to her his expression, immediately tightened.

"Seriously? What the fuck are you doing here, Jessika?"

She lifted her chin in defiance, her dark-brown eyes glassed over from being so intoxicated from all the drinking she had been doing that night.

"What do you mean, Ben?" She pushed her hands through her wavy hair. "He thinks he can just fuck me like that and just go off and automatically start fucking someone else so fucking quickly?!"

Sighing a muscle tensed in his jaw. "You and Poe were exactly just that and nothing more. Mere fuck buddies, that's it. Get over it." 

"No, Ben." He gaze narrowed and she shoved his hand away from her. "No, if that's what I was looking for then I would've just fucked you and I know you can fuck so damn good. Speaking off...." Her voice trailed off across his firm chest. "....do you want to take me home tonight? I could add another notch in that bedpost of yours."

"Not a fucking chance in hell and you know it." he quickly said, grabbing her wrist and shoving is away. "The two of you have been over for a while, now stop this goddamn bullshit!"

"What a fucking joke that must be then, cause we've never stopped!" She snapped. "I was just fucking around with him upstairs in the bathroom while you guys were at the bar!"

Dipping his head, Ben forced her to stare into his eyes. "Upstairs, huh?"

"Yeah, and maybe I should just tell that goody-two shoes he's here with." She replied, trying to push past him and back towards the club. "I mean, the bitch deserves to know her boyfriend is a fucking---"

"Don't even think about it!" He growled. "So help me, if you---if find out that you've been within five feet of her, Jessika, I fucking swear to God....."

Widening her eyes, her voice rose as a curious grin stretched across her mouth. Well, someone's just let out his little dirty secret, haven't they? Ben Solo---in love with his best friend's girl, imagine that.

"What? Am I to understand that you have a thing for her, Ben Solo? Ah, you do, don't you? Wow, some best friend you are, Ben Solo." She laughed, tossing her hands through her hand again. "All of you guys---every single one of you in your rich little group---are a bunch of fucked-up assholes! I'm just sorry that our parents are even friends!"

Gritting his teeth, Ben stared at her for a second but then signaled over the bouncer standing just outside the door of the club. He reached into his wallet and handed the gentleman three one-hundred dollar bills. 

"Here, call her a cab and get her the fuck out of here....now!"

"Sure, no problem, Mr. Solo." He said reaching for the money and then for Jessika's arm. She, of course, struggled against the large, beefy man, causing a further spectacle as she called Ben every name under the sun. Finally, she was put into a cub and sent on her merry little way.

Nothing a little sleep, wouldn't cure, but he sure hoped the headache she would have the next day would be a reminder.

Letting out a weighted breath, Ben headed into the club. He would have to do some serious damage control in the morning after this, considering that Jessika Pava was indeed the daughter of one of his father's closest friends. Making his way back into the bar, Ben wondered how true her statement was.

He didn't put it past Poe for he had known for quite some time---in the sixteen years since they had been friends that Poe was known for cheating. God, he knew he was.

On the other hand, Ben didn't dismiss Jessika lying to try to make her way back to Poe. It wouldn't be the first desperate move she'd made to get back together with him nor did he feel it would be the last time either.

Poe spotted Ben approaching. He let Rey know he'd be right back and stalked over towards, Ben, tossing his arm around his neck.

"So, everything taken care of now?"

Crossing his arms, Ben took a step back and narrowed his gaze. He might not know Rey all that well, but he was about ready to punch Poe in the throat if he dared hurt Rey like this. Who's the fucking player now, asswipe?!

"Yeah, she's gone. What the fuck are you doing, Poe? Are you seriously still messing around with her?"

"I was." Poe shrugged nonchalantly. "But I swear, I'm done with her now. Besides, she kept calling and harassing me over the phone. You, of all people know how she gets, man."

However, just as Poe went to walk away, Ben grabbed him by the arm and jerked him back around to face him. They were not done with this conversation---not by a long shot or as far as he was concerned.

"Man, seriously, you have a pretty cool woman now as far as I am concerned. What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"There you go again." said Poe, pulling his arm away. "Always getting concerned about what I am always doing. You just worry about yourself. I've already told you, I'm fucking done with that whore! Come on man, I don't want to waste my night on her."

He started to walk away but then turned back around the last second. _Game. Set. Match, Solo. You want to play hardball with me---game on, then brother, game on!_

"Oh and by the way, I told Rey that you used to fuck around with her too."

Before Ben could say another word, Poe walked back towards Rey, a smile twisting his lips as he kissed her. Ben watched his best friend play this whole smooth Jekyll and Hyde he'd come to know over these last sixteen years and of course, he also couldn't help but notice the way Rey stared at him as he lounged back into his seat.

_That motherfucking prick! _

"You really do know how to pick them, Ben." Rey teased, tilting her beet to her mouth. "The library---don't forget the library."

Ben finished his beer before leveling an icy look at Poe. He then flickered his eyes over Rey as he contemplated her choice of words. _Yeah, I guess I have had my fair shared of troubled women in my dating regime, Jessika only being one of the many few._

"I'll definitely start with the library as you've suggested, Rey." 

Over the next few hours, Poe became mindlessly hammered. The many beers and shots of tequila caught up with him and by the end of the night, both Hux and Ben had to help him out into Hux's SUV. Having lost all his patience with his best friend at this point, Ben tossed him into the backseat and slammed the door.

Hux shook Ben's hand and quickly jumped into the driver's side of the vehicle. 

"I'm so sorry about this!" Rey stood in the parking lot, completely mortified by Poe's drunken stupor. God, this was so fucking embarrassing! "He just gets a little out of hand when he celebrates a new account!"

Ben leaned against the vehicle, his eyes resting upon her lips. She had been through so much in the span of six hours---fuck, it was already three o'clock in the morning and she had to be up in a few hours for work._ Fuck, what the hell was Poe even thinking by inviting her out?!_

If she needed an excuse for her boss, he would gladly vouch for her. In fact, he would do practically anything for her now he had become that attached.

"Rey, there's no need to apologize on his behalf." Ben said. "I've known him long enough to know how he gets when he drinks---he shouldn't have brought you into this, Rey." 

Drawing a deep breath, Rey held out her hand. She tried her hardest to be relaxed, but her voice sounded unnatural and rather shaky. "Well, it was good officially meeting you, Ben Solo---even under this circumstance. I guess, I'll see you around then." 

Closing the space between them, he reached for her hand. He felt momentarily frozen as he stared deeply into her hazel eyes. He simply shook her hand and gave her that beautiful, all-American boy smile that she fawned and melted over. 

"It was good to have finally met you, too, Rey. I guess, I'll see you at the Fourth of July party."

Slipping into the passenger seat, she nodded smiled up in his direction. For some strange reason, she found herself wanting to see him again, to laugh with him again, to feel his gaze on her again.

"Fourth of July." 

Ben watched them disappear into the heavy Manhattan traffic while the shock of discovering who Rey really was washed over him like a tidal wave.


	4. Chapter 4

“Mr. Solo, the board is most pleased with this quarters earnings. We’re also anticipating further growth next quarter for First Order Holdings, considering the new Jakku account you’ve acquired.” 

Ben stroked his fingers rhythmically across the sleek mahogany conference table. Who would have thought that any kid of Han Solo’s would be able to pull a merge off as successfully as he had?

Word was beginning to spread like wild fire through the building that he was planning on taking Snoke’s spot as CEO. Needless to say, many agreed that he could handle the accounts far better than their predecessor. 

“Thank you, sir and I agree it’s wonderful news. Have we heard anything on the Resistance Alliance account yet? You know the one where my friend, Poe Dameron is currently employed?” 

Ten pairs of eyes swing over to Snoke who nervously ruffled through the stack of files on his desk. Wow, this twenty-nine year old had Kenneth Snoke stumped? That had never ever happened before—in fact, it was mind boggling to those who had worked for Snoke for the last twenty-plus years.

A kid knows more than their own boss? That spoke some great volumes. 

Another executive by the name of Gwendoline Phasma chimed in all eagerly when Snoke seemed unable to answer him. "Yes, Mr. Solo. They've graciously accepted the offer and should be ready to move forward by the end of July, sir. I gave all of the necessary paperwork to your assistant, Tim Matika."

"Excellent." Ben smiled.

Ben then slowly rose from his chair, buttoning his jacket and gave the board a satisfactory nod, and called the meeting to an end. He was definitely CEO material, whether people wanted to believe it or not. In fact, he could catapult First Order Holdings into the next century if just given the chance.

As the last board member exited the conference room, Ben sauntered over to a floor-to-ceiling window in his office.

Peering down at the busy streets of Manhattan below, he watched the chaotic lives of others rumble on below him. At the age of just twenty-nine, he knew he had the world by the balls. First Order Holdings was one of New York's largest advertising agencies and he was only going to take it that much further. Nevertheless, he lacked the most vital necessity for someone of his age and status---love.

He knew it; hell he fucking knew it better than he knew his own facial features. Though he'd played the dating game since his long-term relationship of two years had ended, few--if any, contestants had evoked such feelings within him. Finding someone who truly wanted him for who he really was had become interesting since the breakup.

As he watched the tiny figures blow scurry along the sidewalks, his thoughts immediately raced back to Rey. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he was hit with the fact of who she really belonged to. Ben seethed at Poe for using him as a pawn with his ex-girlfriend, Jesskia, even more so to the way he was treating Rey behind her back.

But despite his growing attraction towards her, Ben knew he had to cover for his best friend. Still, his emotions volleyed back and forth between the lie he had been forced to tell her and the upsurge of want for making it's way through his mind.

Sure, some of it was sexual attraction. Rey was beyond beautiful, and he couldn't deny that. However, that wasn't what fueled his desire for her.

In fact, he couldn't quite define exactly what it was, but it was unlike any other attraction he'd ever had before. He felt a connection to her, a deep pull in his gut that she was supposed to be with him and not his best friend.

Their chemistry was undeniable, an explosive current of attraction Ben was so sure she had also experienced.

He'd felt it the very first time he'd laid eyes on her that day at Jakku Enterprises, that dawning energy radiating from her soft hazel eyes as they stared deep into his.Standing among the empire he had helped build while the sun cast its rays against the steel giants lining along the streets, he fought back the overwhelming urge to pay her yet another unexpected visit.

Shaking his head at the insane thought, Ben moved across his office. He sat down at his desk, when through quarterly reports, and tried to rid the women who could never be his from his mind.

It was then that Ben's personal assistant, Tim, walked into the office. Crossing his arms in annoyance, Ben glared at him. "Where the fuck were you? Did you not receive the message that I left with Natalie this morning?"

Tim gave Ben a wry smile. While they were coworkers on the main floor, they were also very good friends. Almost like brothers, actually, but with different mothers. "I must say, Benjamin, you play the role very well, little man." 

Tim strode across the office as a muffled laugh left his lips.

"So then stop being a wise-ass. Really, what the fuck happened?"

"Jesus, Ben, I got hung up on the phone with Melanie and the kids, Teresa and Timothy had a preschool musical that I was not allowed to miss---otherwise, I'd be in a coffin in a graveyard somewhere."

"Why didn't you tell me that, then?" He frowned, rocking back in his black leather chair. Benjamin, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone else had a soft spot for kids---even if they weren't even his own.

Tim waved a dismissive hand, his green eyes shimmering. "Eh, don't worry about it; they did just find without their Uncle Solo around. And I'm sure you did just fine without me during the meeting. Word has it you've got Snoke dancing around on his fucking toes."

Ben snorted and muttered, "They're all just a bunch of fucking sharks if they numbers aren't appealing to them, and the whole thing with Snoke is bogus, man. Just a bunch of wild rumors floating around, but no solid proof."

"That's just business." Tim shrugged and sat on the black leather couch in front of Ben. "We have people who invest in this company, and we need to produce the revenue they're looking for and you're fucking good at that, man. Snoke---Snoke doesn't even had a clue as to what you could do as CEO."

Standing, Ben ignored his assistant's words and walked back over towards the window. He was thinking about Rey yet....again. 

"So, are you ever going to secure an evening out with Alicia? You know that cute representative you've been talking about constantly?" Tim probed.

Without turning around, Ben crossed his arms and chuckled. "I can't deny the way you're able to seamlessly transition from one topic to the next, Tim"

"Well, there's a true compliment somewhere in that statement. But seriously, man, Melanie's been bothering me about hooking the two of you up for a while now. Just come out with us one night and decide if she'd be someone who would interest you."

"So I see the two if you are on the finding-Ben-Solo-a-secure-relationship-mission....again." 

"Mission? Ha! No, not quite how I would put it exactly, but I think it's about time you got over her."

Snapping his head in Tim's direction, Ben's dark eyes lit up with raw amusement. While he appreciated his friend's help on the matter when it came to this particular "sensitive" issue, he had to find the humor in all of it. He was more than fine.

"Do you think I'm honestly not over her, Tim? It's been what almost two years now, man. I'm fine."

"Well, she definitely caused you to draw back from forming other attachments--_-long term_ attachments, that is." Tim said, rising from the couch now and straightening his cuff-links. "They're not all the same, you know. She was just in it for all the wrong reasons, is all."

Ben's jaw tensed almost imperceptibly. "You know, Tim, despite us being good friends and all here, I really have no desire to talk about anything of this right now."

The tone of his voice indicating a warning, all of which, Tim knew better than to push. Ben Solo might be a gentlemen with his head on his shoulders, a good heart, but he had very little patience for bullshit---especially when it came to the dating and his ex-girlfriend. 

"Fair enough, man. So, are you still coming dinner tonight with us and your Mom and Dad?"

He shrugged into his suit jacket, the barest suggestion of a smile playing across his plump lips. He honest to God, didn't feel like being fragged into a dinner evening with expectations, but after all he had gone through in the last two days, he was like--_eh, why the hell not? _

"Yes, I'll be there--that is unless and your wonderful wife are hiding a secret date for me under the fucking table."

Tim then dug his keys from his pocket, gave an impish smirk, and walked out of the office. By the time Ben left, Manhattan was gridlocked. Sighing, he rubbed his palm over his face as he gripped the steering wheel of his black Audi. While waiting for a herd of pedestrians to cross the street, he quickly realized he was at the corner beside the building where Rey worked.

The blood instantly drained from his face when he saw her opening the door to leave. He pinched the bride of his nose and contemplated on pulling over to say hello, but as soon as the idea entered his mind, a loud car horn cut through his thoughts.

Flipping the bird to the impatient driver, Ben slid into first gear and navigated through traffic. He looked in the rearview mirror, trying to catch one last glimpse of her. It was then that his father's far-fetched story about love at first sight slammed back into his mind.

_She's out there, son, and when you find her, you'll know it the very second you see her. She'll pull at your every instinct. Without any regard to the natural order of things, she'll just...appear._

"Well, this is utterly fucking hilarious!"" He laughed, tapping his finger on the steering wheel. "I've got to be out of godamnned mind thinking about this fucking girl!"

With so many conflicting emotions, over the next hour, Benjamin Organa-Solo analyzed his beliefs. As Manhattan's skyline disappeared from his view and the sprawling trees layering upstate replaced it, he swore he would try to be rid of Rey from mind--though he wasn't quite sure if that was even remotely possible at this point.

Applying the last bit mascara to her lashes, Rey tore her attention away from the mirror. The slamming of the door signaled Rose's arrival. She hurried into the living room just in time to see Rose throwing her purse and six-inch stilettos across the floor.

"I've been calling and texting you all day!" Rey said breathlessly as she slipped on a red pair of heels. "Why didn't you call me back?!"

"I left my phone here by mistake." said Rose irritably as she walked into the kitchen and yanked her cell phone off the kitchen counter. Looking at, Rey, though, she immediately began to smile. "You're looking awfully hot tonight. What's the special occasion?"

"Mine and Poe's nine-month anniversary, of course. He'll be here soon." Rey hastily replied, walking over to her. "You were sleeping when I got home last night after dropping Poe off at his place. You have no idea who I met."

"Yeah, I was wondering why you were gone---you left before I could even ask." Rose stabbed her pass code into her phone. "Okay, let me guess? Brad Pitt?"

"I'm being serious here, Rose. You'll never guess, so don't even try." 

"No! I want one more shot." Rose paused. "Hmm, was it President Obama or maybe some famous actor from Broadway? So, am I close?"

"Nowhere and I can already tell that this is going nowhere fast." Rey laughed and sank down onto a chair at the kitchen table. "I met the one and only.....wait for it....wait for it....Benjamin Organa-Solo."

"Totally, hot right?" Rose asked, bringing her phone up to her ear.

Rey smiled. "Yes, he is....completely."

"Now admit to me my description of the walking God was on point, since, if I recall correctly----" Rose tapped her fingers on her chin. "---when I gave you the walking God's description, you begged to differ that any such man could be that delicious looking."

"Yes, you pretty much hit the nail on the head on that one!" Rey laughed. "But I'm more than sure, at least now I am, you want to hear the details to our prior meetings."

Rose then quickly slid her phone shut. What the---?

"Prior?" She crossed the room in two strides and lounged on the couch next to Rey's chair. "You have my full and undivided attention; do tell and spill it all girl!"

Leaning her elbows onto the table, Rey tented her fingers under her chin and tried to think of the best place to begin her incredibly rich story. "Let me see...oh yes, he's the man I had the encounter with at the office that day. He was the merger coming to our company to speak with my boss, Holdo!"

Rose's black eyes immediately widened, but she remained silent, shook oozing from her face.

"Yes, and he's the little stalker who came to my job, leaving me his name and number." Rey said dropping her tony huskily.

"Shut the front door, woman! So Mr. Tall, Dark and Fuckable Handsome is Benjamin Organa-Solo?" Rose squealed.

Rey nodded and laughed. Rose could dare to believe anything that she was hearing right now! So, she decided to test Rey on that theory!

"Are you serious or are you messing with me right now, Rey? Cause, if so, that's seriously fucked up, even for someone like you!"

Leaning back in her chair, Rey crossed her arms, a smirk tipping on her rose-colored lips _Me? Mess with you, Rose Tico? It sounds awfully tempting to be sure, but not even I'm that fucking good to pull that off!_

"I swear to you!"

"You know you should just go out with him." Rose shrugged. "Obviously, he's made quite an impression on you, and you've clearly made one on him, as well." 

Her casual behavior of these words threw Rey off guard. What exactly was she insinuating here? Had she completely forgotten that she was already dating someone or did she really just hate Poe that much? She really just thought perhaps Rose was just losing it at this point, honestly. 

"What do you mean, exactly?"

"I know you, Rey Johnson, better than hot-shot boy-toy of yours anyways, and you have this dopey, dreamy-eyed look on you face right now. You can deny it all you want, but I know for a fact, you're imaging jumping his bones."

"You've got to be joking right?"

Rose stood and cross the living room and stopped just short of bedroom, turning back around to face her best friend. "Are you asking if I'm joking about the dopey look on your face, going out with him, or jumping his bones? You need to be a little more specific here, please."

"Rose Trico, you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Well, you're acting so surprised that I would say any of those things, Rey."

Shocked, Rey followed her. She leaned against the doorframe of Rose's bedroom and placed both hands on her hips; narrowing her gaze. "Are you really serious about everything you just said to me?"

Rose slowly peeled off her work clothes, wrapped a towel around her body and strolled into the bathroom before proceeding to step into the shower. "Honestly, Rey, it's no secret how I feel about that Douchebag of a boyfriend of yours. He's a fucking chump and you should have dumped his ass ages ago!"

"Ah, that's right. Because how you feel about my boyfriend is what really matters here." Rey said sardonically as she walked into the bathroom and closing the door behind her with a dull_ thud._

"So, why not give Ben a try?" Rose asked coolly from inside the shower.

Rey tolled her eyes and began ticking the reasons off on her fingers simultaneously. "Oh, I could think of a few good reasons. One, I love Poe. Two, I love Poe. And three, you'll never guess what? I fucking love, Poe!"

Rey mocked Tina Turner and crooned, in her finest, sultry singing voice._ No wonder she never made it to Broadway,_ Rey, thought. _No offense, but with a voice like that, I'd turn her ass down too! God, I'm such a horrible friend!_

"What's love got to do with it?" She laughed.

"Okay, you have completely lost it now, Rose. And even if I weren't with Poe, you have already killed the ever-wanting-to-entertain-Ben-Solo-option. So, thanks for that!"

Rose immediately poked her head out from behind the shower curtain; giving Rey a very salty glare. "And how exactly did I your opinion of him exactly? I was all for you to fuck his brains out for crying out loud!"

"Let me see....he's a ladies man, is the first thing that enters my dodgy memory." Drawing a deep breath, Rey paused. "Oh, and you don't think he's fully capable of staying with any woman longer than week is another. Need I go on?"

At this, Rose shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping her towel around her waist and grabbing her usual bathroom essentials. "Right, he started acting like that after his fiancé, Mara, broke up with him. Before the infamous newspaper-worthy split, he was the total package." 

"What---he was engaged?!"

"Yep." Rose piped back before sliding into a pair of shorts and a white tank top. She grabbed for a brush and began combing through her long, silky black hair. "They dated for almost five years. Then one day he came home, and she was gone. Rumor has it she packed up all her shit and moved out while he was at work."

Confusion immediately creased Rey's brows. How could that be, though? Ben seemed so....so sweet, despite that insanely sexually charged mannerism he seemed to love caring around with that charming personality of his.

"Why? What happened?"

"To tell you the truth, girl, he never told my sister exactly what happened. They knew each other---so don't look at me like that, all right. And trust me, when I'm asked about him, and he didn't want to discuss it, so I have no idea." said Rose as she pulled her makeup bag from her bottom drawer. "But come on, you saw him. The man's literally been fucking blessed by the proverbial fucking-hot-as-sin-gene. He's worth millions and--and really, I'm not kidding when I say this, Rey--he's a decent guy."

"Well, if that's case, why haven't you dated him then? Seeing as you know him so well, I mean." Rey asked.

"Eww, oh Lord, I've known him for far too long. Even though I have utmost respect for the glorious gene pool that fine piece of fuckable ass has been bathed in since birth, but I sort of look at him like an older brother. Besides, it'd be way too weird." Rose crinkled her nose in distaste. 

"So how long has he been friends with, Hux?"

"You sure have tons of questions for a girl who's not considering playing naughty." Rose quipped, smirking in her direction. "Sounds to me like you do want to get to know him better."

Rey dismissively waved her hand as she turned to the mirror. "For your information, Miss Tico, I'm trying to get in the loop here. Poe, literally tells me nothing about his friends or his coworkers---like nothing. I'm so in the dark when it comes to any of them." 

"That's why you should dump his stupid ass!" said Rose sarcastically. 

Rey ignored this retort, signaling that she would not hear anything but the truth and nothing but the truth, so help her God. She just stood there staring at her best friend and roommate, indicating she needed to get this little show on the road here.

"Well, if the answer you're really looking seeking is if Poe and Ben have been friends as long as my sister Paige, have been, then the answer is, no, they have not."

"Oh, for some reason, I thought they all went to high school together or something." Rey murmured, trying to piece all of his new information she had been given together all at once. 

Rose then reached under the sink for the hair-dryer, plugged it in and turned it on high. Her voice rose as she began running the brush through her long, black hair. "Oh, no, Paige and Ben went to high school together! She works under Ben at the firm; a secretary, or representative, I think."

Rey nodded and listening as Rose continued on telling her story. She didn't understand why Poe had been so withholding on really, well, all of this. He always said honesty was important in any relationship and yet here he was contradicting himself. 

"When my sister started working at First Order Holdings, Poe was strangely enough already a stockbroker there. That's how my sister met your totally awesome dickhead boyfriend, but Poe hated working for Snoke---so he quit and left for Resistance Alliance, much to Ben's dismay." Rose laughed, and Rey just rolled her large hazel eyes.

She recalled a brief story where Poe explained he was working for a company that he wasn't having all that luck with in the first few months they had began dating. It was all starting to slowly make sense to her now.

"When Paige was preparing to start her job there, Poe asked if she knew anyone with a decent bank account. Trying to impress a higher-up, She was introduced to Poe and then of course, to Ben, and well the rest is history. They've been friends for at least three years, I think." 

"Very cool!" or not, Rey thought.

"And supposedly, First Order Holdings is the largest account that Poe handles."

Rey shrugged. "So? Big deal? He likes to make money."

"So....you really should thank Ben for some of the money that you rich-boyfriend has."

Rey thought about the countless nights that Poe spent at the office landing clients to earn a living. Even though Ben had played some part in Poe's wealth, her boyfriend work above and beyond First Order Holdings to make that money. She simply bowed her head with appreciation---_thanks, I guess, Solo!_

"Well, thank you so much for that very educational background information of the two men's histories together. You're too kind, Miss Tico!"

The two women then broke into fits of laughter. Ret went to walk out of the bathroom, but Rey spoke up just before she was able to reach the door.

"Want to know something else that's funny, chick?"

Rey stopped at the threshold and waited patiently for her to speak up. Lord, more information? She felt she hadn't taken in so much already--what else was there left to be heard? 

"It was Ben who was supposed to come out and visit that weekend with my sister when we were in school---not Poe. It's crazy to think, really, that right now you probably would've been dating him instead."

A faint smile tugged at Rey's mouth as she stared into her friend's eyes. She had been right--she probably could have been dating, Ben, right now, and the thought of doing so made her feel almost ashamed that she wasn't. Rey's phone ringing broke through the few seconds of silence.

She moved to the kitchen to retrieve the call. It was Poe, announcing she was waiting for her downstairs. Grabbing her purse, Rey strode to the door as Rose blew her a kiss good-bye.

**********

"You look fucking amazing, babe....so much, I could eat you right up." Poe breathed into Rey's hair as they made their way into a quaint little restaurant nestled on the lapping shore of Liberty State Park.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, he leaned closer and nipped her earlobe. _Ugh, couldn't he wait until they had got back to the apartment for heaven's sake?!_

"And I have to admit that pretty little red dress will come off by the end of the evening."

Giggling at his obvious gesture, Rey pushed up on her tiptoes to kiss him swiftly on the lips. 

"And trust me, I have no problem with it coming off...but can you at least wait until after we've had our dinner, please, Poe? I do not wish to make scene at the dinner table."

She took a quick moment to catalog Poe's features, sighing with warmth at his boyish good looks. His curly black hair was naturally mussed as if she had just run her fingers through it, and his dark brown eyes reminded her of a perfect blend of caramel and chocolate. 

He had made reservations for their special evening, even making sure they had a table overlooking the water. The restaurant offered some of the best views of the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Their waiter led them onto a lavish patio lined with trees and subtle landscaping.

The view of the harbor under the stars swept Rey's breath away. Although it was the beginning of July, the air held a crisp, cooling breeze on this particular night. 

After placing their order and enjoying two glasses of red wine each, Rey looked over at Poe. His gaze was fixed on her as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She felt a blush dance across her cheeks, and she smiled. 

"What?" She asked.

Sliding his arm across the crisp-white linen tablecloth, he reached for her hand, smoothing the pad of his thumb along her knuckles. "You really just have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?" He clinched his body every so subtly over the table.

"Oh, you're really just trying your hardest to get some tonight, aren't you?"

Chuckling, he held her hand even tighter at this and smirked seductively in her direction. "Touché, babe, I already know I'm getting some. I'm going to fuck that pussy so good---" 

Rey shook her head, a giggle escaping from her lips. "You're in a very frisky mood right now if you ask me, babe." 

Poe shrugged and then casually leaned back in his chair. "Yes, I am...in a very frisky mood. But how can I possibly not be?" He gestured to her slightly exposed cleavage with his head, suddenly looking a little displeased with her. "Although, I do wish you would've worn something that covered you up a little more around that region." 

Rey adjust the straps of her dress, pulling it higher up on her body. Why was he complaining? He didn't seem to have a problem with her showering off her body in the bedroom and besides---he had wanted her to wear this dress in the first place.

"Is it really that bad?" She asked, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Well, I like to keep what's mine all to myself." He said clearing his throat and took a sip of wine. "Okay, let's talk about something else before I take you on this table right now---my dick is fucking hard. So, how was your day?"

Not meeting his eyes, Rey traced the rim of her wine glass with two fingers and replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "It was okay, I guess." 

"What's wrong, Rey?" 

"No offense, Poe, but now I feel a little self-conscious." she replied, glancing all around the patio towards the other guests.

"Rey, you know I didn't meant it like that." He said reaching across the table and lifted her chin with one finger. Her eyes came to rest on his. "What I meant was, I just don't like it when other men stare at you. You look absolutely stunning as usual, but like I said, you are mine---all fucking mine."

"Okay, I'll try to pay more attention to what I wear from now on then." A faint smile tugged at her lips. "But to be honest with you, and I know this may sound a little weird, but I actually like it when women stare at you, Poe."

"Oh, you do, huh?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. I know that you're with me, and that's all that really matters."

"You're just saying that because you're a woman. Men have other things in mind when they stare like that." said Poe smartly. "They want to fuck the first thing they see, trust me."

Interrupting the conversation, the waiter arrived with another bottle of wine and two plates of beef Wellington. The rest of their talk focused on Poe taking Rey to do some sightings around the city. It was something that she had looked forward tom but she had yet to do it--at least not with him. When he came to pick up their empty plates, the waiter handed Rey a dessert menu.

His thick French accent slid from his tongue. "The chef recommends the crème brulee medley, consisting of chocolate, vanilla and banana."

"That sounds good to me." Rey replied, handing the menu back.

The faint sound of an infant crying caught Poe's attention. He glanced over in Rey's direction. "That baby is driving me fucking nuts. Do you really have get a dessert?"

Rey sheepishly smiled, flicking her eyes in the direction of the young couple to soothe the baby in questions who was crying. "It's just a baby, Poe. And no, I don't have to get a dessert, but I want to and so I am."

Poe's head snapped up as he glared menacingly up at their waiter. "Fine, bring her the damn medley, but could you remove the people with the screaming child over there?! Thanks!"

Rey's smile immediately feel, surprised by Poe's curtness. Damn, he was being fucking rude as hell tonight! 

"I do apologies for the inconvenience, sir, but I'm not able to do that." the waiter answered, noticeably feeling uncomfortable with being given a heartless request.

"Well surely there's a manager around this circus I could speak with then." said Poe, his eyes hardened. 

"Please, there's no need to do that, sir. You can just place it into a to-go box, it's fine." Stupefied, Rey quickly interjected. 

"It may make a mess for a to-go box, miss. May I recommend you our cheesecake if this will not be enjoyed here?" The waiter then suggested, keeping a close eye on the gentleman sitting in front of Rey every few seconds.

"Yes, that will be fine, thank you." said Rey. The waiter nodded and whisked off into the kitchen. Rey then yanked the napkin from her lap and tossed it over the table. "Jesus, Poe, what the fucking hell was that all about? It's just a baby for crying out loud."

He shifted in his chair, trying to drag his attention away from the couple and the screaming baby next to them. "I'm sorry---it's just been a really long day at work."

"Still, that was completely mortifying and not to mention you should apologize to the family." She huffed, leaning back in her seat.

"Look, I said that I was sorry, Rey. I'm just exhausted from working all these late nights." 

A sudden wave of guilt coursed through her and she reached across the table for his hand and squeezed it tightly. He was all too happy to comply and smiled warmly she second she felt her fingertips grazing across his skin.

"I know you've been working hard lately. But, honestly, what are you going to do when we have children, Poe? Are you going to be out in the wee hours of the night, or missing baseball games or the school play?"

Poe was glad the waiter retuned at that moment with Rey's dessert and the bill. Poe retrieved his credit card from his wallet and handed it over to the man. While he loved Rey with everything he had---that was one thing he wasn't going to allow.._.children. _

"I wouldn't want you messing up that gorgeous body by having children."

"Well, Poe, I do want children eventually, so I guess you'll just have to endure my messed-up-body one day."

Rising from his seat, he buttoned his suit jacket and offered his hand towards Rey. Smiling, she took it and stood up. 

"We have plenty of time later for children, babe." He whispered softly against her cheek. He then bent over signed the receipt and handed it over to their waiter. "Come on, I have something extra special for you."

Smiling, Rey followed him out to the docks lining the restaurants, her eyes feasting on the skyscrapers. The sparkling of lights from their windows, indicating the presence of others so high in the sky, amazed her. A cool, breeze swept across her skin as she slipped off her heels so they couldn't get caught between the wobbling old boards.

Walking hand in hand with her, Poe held her shoes and led her to end of the docks. He circled his arms around her waist.

"Happy anniversary, Rey. I love you very much." He said now handing her a black velvet box.

Rey's heart quickened with anxiety as her body trembled. She licked her lips slowly. She hadn't prepared herself for this.....at all. "Poe....I.....we...." She stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

As he cocked his head to the side, a low laugh whipped past his lips. He tenderly brushed the hair away from her face. "Rey you were just talking about having children with me, Rey. What's the matter? Cold feet, babe? Oh don't worry, it's not what you think it is." 

Letting out an audible breath, Ret stared at him. His familiar brown eyes gazed back. She opened the box, revealing a pair stunning one-carat diamond earrings. Rey gasped at their exquisite beauty. Poe took them out of the box, removed the earrings she was currently wearing, and secured them on her earlobes. Looking down, Rey lightly fingered one of the diamonds.

Poe brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "They look so beautiful on you, Rey." 

He dipped his head, forcing her to stare into his wondering dark eyes. "Though, I have to say, you honestly looked like you were about to pass out when I first gave you the box there."

She raised her hand and traced his jawline. "They're beautiful, Poe and I love them. Thank you so much....I just got a little....nervous, you know? I'm just not sure if I'd be ready for marriage just yet. I have so much I want to do, and to see."

A slow smile curled his lips as his warm fingers splayed across her lower back, pulling her body extra close to his.

"Be ready soon enough, babe, because I plan on marrying you one day."

With his hot, moist breath in her ear, he ran his tongue along the curved edge, gently sucking her lobe into his mouth. The hair on her nape stood on end from his rapt attention to the spot he knew would send her over the edge.

Thrusting her fingers into his hair, she pressed her lips against his. He swept his tongue through her mouth, smoothing his hands down her waist and pulled even closer, his kiss growing hungrier by the second.

With her inner senses becoming too hot for public on-slaughter of affection, Rey pulled back and slowly grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go back to your apartment before I take you right here on these rocks." 

"All right, but the talking ends the second we get back to my place." He eyed her seductively as he gripped her hand. "Okay, but speaking of something to talk about. You did take off work this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, right?"

"For what?" Rey asked, her brown drawn up in confusion.

"For Ben's Fourth of July party, duh! We told you about it last night."

"Right, that's Wednesday. Why do I need off all three days, though? We aren't planning to stay the whole weekend are we?"

Poe snaked his arm around her waist and continued to lead her towards his Mercedes-Benz. "Because, Benjamin Solo doesn't throw you what you consider a normal Fourth of July party." 

He then opened the car door for her, pausing briefly. "We party all three days. We'll sleep there Wednesday, Thursday and head back here on Friday morning---that way we can have the rest of Saturday and Sunday all to ourselves." 

Rey settled herself into her car, and he closed door. Once again, she felt her pulse jump but for something completely different now. Her stomach roiled at the thought of two spending two full night's at Gavin's parent's home in the Hamptons.

She had prepared herself to see him again---she had to because he was Poe's best friend, and they would undoubtedly run into each other from time to time--but that....that was different.

Poe lounged into his seat, and the engine purred to life. Biting down on her bottom lips, she turned to look at him.

"Poe, honey, it's already Monday night. I can't get off all three days--and with the company and Holdo, I just don't want to push it by asking so many days off in a row." 

"Well then I'll go in and say something to her." He stated with a tone of superiority.

"Poe Dameron, you will do no such thing!" She replied in aggravation. "I'll ask her when I get to work tomorrow. Don't you fucking dare go in there and say anything!"

"Whoa, whoa, there babe!" He laughed, taking his hands off the steering wheel momentarily and holding them up in surrender. "Damn, Rey, it was just a gesture. Calm the fuck down!"

Rolling her eyes she leaned her head against the window. She wondered two things; one, if she could actually get off work all three days, which seemed nearly impossible and two if she could get off, how on earth would she make it thought two whole consecutive days and nights around Ben without absolutely losing her goddamn mind?! 


	5. Chapter 5

"Damn, Rey, how much did you fucking pack?!" Rose asked, eyeing her best friend's suitcase as she slid a backpack over her shoulder. "It's only for two nights, chick." 

Rey's head snapped up as she tucked the last of her makeup bag. "You're not staying both nights like I am. It's really not that much!"

"Girl, it looks like you've stowed a small city away in there." Rey teased, walking over. Tossing her long, sleek black hair to the side, she wiggled her brows. "But that's right--you'll be around Ben for over forty-eight hours, so I'm sure you'll need enough clothing to change into. Just between us _girls_, I've heard he likes black lingerie." 

"You're such a drama queen, Rose. Just stop with your assumptions about this, okay?" Rey walked into the kitchen with her bag and Rose followed, tickling her rib. Rey jumped and laughed and pushed her away. "Oh and by the way, a whooping thank-you for the warning about this being a two-night hiatus. I'm so lucky Finn was able to cover my shifts."

Rose held her hands up and shrugged. "Hey, I just assumed that you knew."

A quick knock came at the front door, and Poe peeked his head in. "Hello? Are all the women decent in here?"

Rey made a slicing motion across her neck and mothered her not to even so much as mention, Ben's name in front of him.

Rose nodded and piped, "Actually, no we're not. You know I'm so into women now, so I have your girlfriend spread-eagled across the kitchen table and I'm doing all these exotic things to her in your absence."

Rey shook her head and giggled uncontrollably. Only Poe didn't seem to find any of this remotely funny.

"Oh yeah that's right. I forgot about that, Rosie." said Poe as he made his way over towards Rey. "The entire male species has officially banned you from their team."

"Oh fuck you, Douchpickle….oops, I'm sorry, Poe and for your information, I can suck dick just as well as the next girl. Finn, actually approves of me giving him head." Rose hissed, grabbing her backpack off from the floor. "And he's actually meeting me out there tomorrow so you better not say a fucking world while he's there, asshole!" 

Poe laughed and shot her a wicked smile. He then dropped quick kiss on Rey's lips to which Rose just rolled her eyes. "Is the limo here yet?"

"Limo?" Rey asked, confused. 

"Like I said babe, it's a crazy party from beginning to end." said Poe as he yanked up Rey's suitcase, it's heaviness apparent in the straining of his biceps. "Ben sends one for us every year and it just so happens, yes, it's outside and ready and waiting. Let's get going. It's almost three o'clock, so rush hour will be a complete bitch." 

Poe led the way out the door and into the elevator. Once inside, Rey grabbed ahold of Rey's arm and whispered. "Is he in the limo?"

With two sharp shakes of her head, Rose whispered back. "No, he would've slept there last night to get the place ready for all of his party guests."

Rey took in the sight of the gray-and-black Hummer limousine as they stepped out the apartment building. The chauffeur held the door open with a huge smile. He retrieved everyone's bags and placed them in the trunk. Rey climbed in behind, Rose, and they settled on the long, black leather seat.

Poe didn't waste any time, reaching towards the illuminated bar and making himself a drink.

"Always hitting the booze, Dickhead.....excuse me, Poe." Rose remarked, studying her face in a small compact mirror. 

He shot her a blank, frosty smile. "What are you now, my fucking mother? Jesus, can a guy not drink without some random bitch like you killing the buzz?"

Rey let outa deep sigh. She was not going to put up with the two of them fighting this entire time, especially not at Ben's place. "Would you two stop it already? This is supposed to be a fun and relaxing event and not some---"

"She started it." 

Reverting to a second grade's level, Rose crinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue at Poe. 

Shaking her head, Rey sighed again. "Okay, so how far is his place. anyways?"

"It's in East Hampton, so about three hours because of traffic." Rose got comfortable and tossed her legs across the seat. "But I promise you, it's so worth the drive. It's a fucking paradise right on the beach."

"You said this is his parent's house though? Won't they mind that he's having a party with tons of people there?"

"They're out of town." Rose stated grabbing herself some snacks from the mini-bar, much to Poe's dismay. "And they know---plus, he's a big boy. His private estate is a little further upstate, but he can't beat the view his parent's have." 

"Aren't we stopping by to pick up, Hux?" Rey asked.

Rose shook her head. "No, he's helping out with the company right now. He'll meet us out there tonight."

"So how many people will actually be there?"

Poe pulled Rey across his lap and smiled as he took a sip of his whisky on the rocks. "Not that many tonight. It's just his preparty with his close friends. But tomorrow's a totally different game. There will be hundred of guests, and each and every single one of them is flowing out of their ass with money."

Rose laughed as she looked over at Poe. "Only you would know that. Every year you try to gain a new account by snaking your way into some rich bastard's portfolio. I have to admit you work the party like a pro."

His eyes hardened, but Rey quickly placed her hand over his mouth. "You two are seriously done talking for the remainder of this ride."

Over the next few hours, while her anxiety steadily built to unbearable heights, Rey watched a suburban landscape replace the concrete and steel of the city. Mature trees, grass, and singe-family homes flew past, reminding her of where she had once grown up. She'd missed that since living in the city. 

Eventually, the middle-class palette melted away. The view shifted to sprawling mansions lining the Atlantic coast. They were the types of homes Rey had seen magazines. Her eyes widened at the absolute beauty. Rolling down the window, she deeply inhaled the salty ocean air. The chauffeur pulled up to a winding, gated driveway.

He spoke with someone over an intercom before the ornate metal gates slowly swung open, allowing the limousine onto the property. Beyond the gates, a sweeping green lawn holding lush trees lined the flagstone drive. A garden highlighted the front of the home with flowers of every color imaginable. Large pillars oh both sides of the mammoth mahogany door caught Rey's gaze.

Off to the side were sunken tennis and basketball courts. In the distance, the twinkling sun shimmering off the ocean brought Rey a sense of peace--if only for the barest second.

Rose chucked a piece of ice at Poe's face, stirring him from his alcohol-induced nap. She and Rey laughed, watching him blink his eyes open. He glared at Rose with a look that promised retaliation one way or another. The chauffeur opened the door, and they each stepped out into the sunlight.

Poe stretched his neck from side to side, yawning. He reached in hic pocket, patted the driver on his back, and handed him a tip. Rey shielded her eyes from the sun as she took in the massive stone home, awestruck by it's grandeur size.

Through it was astonishing in every way possible, she wondered why one person really needed a place of such magnitude. Fuck, no this is his parent's place!

She could imagine what his place looked like. With that fleeting thought, the reason for her newfound anxiety--and rapid breathing--stepped out of the front door. Shirtless and absolutely perfect.

Rey's heart nearly stopped. As Ben made his way over to the group, she couldn't help but admire his barely there attire. Transiently, her eyes scanned his well-defined abs, segmented with definitions of hard muscle from his shoulders to his hips.

A deep V that disappeared below his black---of course, their black, swimming trunks made her heart rate jump back to life.

He wasn't bulky by any means; he had a body of a runner---long and lean--with just enough muscle to make any girl's tongue dance behind her lips. It was then that she noticed she stood a good six inches over her smaller frame. If she had to take a wild guess--he was probably six-foot three at least.

His pale complexion had her unconsciously biting the side of her mouth, nearly drawing blood. To add icing to the already scrumptious cake, she had visible scars on lower abdomen, a top of his left shoulder---she immediately began to wonder how he had gotten them and yet even if they had been painful, why they made him look that much better?

Heat rose in her cheeks as she felt tension growing in her legs---coils of lust she knew she shouldn't have, making themselves acutely present to get moisture back into her suddenly dry mouth, and immediately chided herself for having any sort of reaction at all.

He was incredibly sexy, forbidden, dangerous, completely fuckable--and she knew it. A contagious smile washed over Ben's face as he stepped down from the front porch. He shook Poe's hand and gestured with his head to the limo leaving the property.

"How was the ride? I do hope my parent's driver treated you all well." 

"He always treats us good." Poe grabbed his and Rey's bags from where the chauffeur had set them. 

Rose tossed her arms around Ben's neck and hugged him. "What is up, man?" She whispered something into his ear and he giggled.

Rey had a pretty good idea what Rose had said when Ben's flickered over in her direction, a boyish smile tipping the corners of his mouth. Cupping his chin, he laughed as he looked down shaking his head. His amber eyes swung back to Rey. 

"I'm very happy to see you could make it. Poe said that you might not be able to stay both nights."

"I know people." Rey laughed, not from her attempted joke, but rather from soaring nervousness.

"Mmm, it's very good knowing people." He noted, staring into her eyes an extra few seconds. Drawing in a deep breath, he tossed his hand through his thick, black hair. "Okay, so, let's go party the next dew days away."

As the two women followed the men, Rey shot Rose a look, knowing she'd said something in Ben's about their prior meetings. Rose laughed and battered her eyes like a true Southern-Belle as they made their way into the house.

The-two story foyer with a cascade of staircase on either side was surprisingly warm and inviting, and Rey found herself flanking down the long hall toward the breathtaking view of the ocean.

Sunlight spilled in effortlessly through floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding the back end of the home. A double-sided stone fireplace was the center of attention on the living room. Gleaming, dark cherry hardwood floors led to a gourmet, eat-in kitchen dripping with black granite.

Deep earthy tones were scattered throughout a library, billiard room, and dining room. Rey’s amazement was all to evident at this point. Ben's parents had good tastes—_very_ good tastes. 

Rose squeezes Rey’s arm, her smile wide. “You see, I told you it’s spectacular! And you haven’t even seen the media room, the second level or the backyard fucking oasis, chick!”

Feeling almost breathless, Rey nodded and followed Poe up to the room that they would be sharing. Rose was right. The upstairs was no less amazing. The same flow of furnishings with warm accents and hues sprinkled throughout the upper level.

Rey felt as though as were in a spa of sorts when she walked into their en suite bathroom. Holy crap! European fixtures and a marble shower encased in glass made her want to skip the pool altogether an opt for the hot steam instead. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Poe asked as he prepared himself a drink at the small wet bar in their room. 

“It is.” Rey nodded as she still kept taking in all the beautiful finishing. 

Poe then told Rey he would meet her out back later. Rey nodded as she rummaged through her belongings. After applying a good bit of suntan lotion, she shrew on her skimpy black bikini, slipped a sarong around her waist and made her way into the hallway. 

Ben halted mid-stride, grabbing his sunglasses on the kitchen island. He spotted Rey coming down the stairs and felt a dizzying force plummet through him. Something inside of him twisted, burning in the pit of his stomach to the very core of his male being. So much of for trying to rid her of his mind. 

Just looking at her made it hard for him to breathe. He couldn’t concentrate on any one particular thing about her. His eyes passed over her slowly, pausing to regard her beautiful figure. In fact, he was so sure the sight of her chestnut hair dropping over her bikini top could send him to his deathbed a happy man.

Her squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to think of something else. When they snapped back opened again, his eyes found hers, but the moment they connected, she has looked away. Undeterred, he smiled and moved to the edge of the stairs. 

Rey stopped on the second step and stared down at Ben. His eyes alone swallowed her whole. They were vivid, mesmerizing and surrounded by thick, dark lashes. A timid smile crept across her face as he approached.

“Hey.” 

She sounded even more breathless than she had intended, but Ben was perfectly okay with it. In fact, he found it to be rather cute. The energy flowing between them was palpable. Ben felt if, and he was pretty dam sure, she could to. He wet his lips and stared at her for another second before saying. 

“Hey.”

The overt intensity of the gaze rendered her speechless. Her eyes flew to the ocean beyond the windows as she waited for him to move again. Ben could tell he had made her nervous and that wasn’t his intention at all. He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and tentatively placed his hand down on the banister. 

“Look, I know this whole things a little crazy and all, but—“ he paused for a second and smiled down at her. “Well, mods than a little, actually, but I just wanted you to know that I’m just as freaked out about as you are.” 

His face softened onto concern as his gaze suddenly became more and more intent. Rey felt herself coming down from her nervous high as she turned to look him in the eyes once more. 

“But more importantly, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable while you’re here, Rey. I want you to be...relaxed. Completely and utterly relaxed.” 

Rey drew in a deep breath as she held steady eye contact with him, knowing that would be nearly impossible. She needed something to distract herself from the blazing amber of his eyes. She moved down the last two stairs, trying with every bit of her voice and body to appear nonchalant about the whole matter.

"Look, Ben, I appreciate your concern here, but honestly, I'm good." 

Ben placed his hands on the back of her neck and smiled warmly at her. "Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent." She replied, glancing around for an exit to the pool. 

"Oh, it's over here." Ben gestured. "I'll actually follow you out. There are some friends of mine that I'd like to introduce to you to are out int the backyard." 

After retrieving his sunglasses, he and Rey strolled outside. Inhaling as much as her lungs could hold, Rey let the salty smell of the ocean tickler her nose. An in-ground pool and hot tub overlooked the shores of the Atlantic.

The view was spectacular from the hill where the grand home stood. An outdoor fireplace, a few shaded cabana's with a built-in-bar. and a guesthouse were only part of the open-air paradise. Rey followed Ben over to where Rose and Poe were chatting with two other men.

The moment Poe noticed her, Rey watched him excuse himself from the group. His telling eyes let her know that he wanted to talk with her...._alone._ Rey cocked her head to the side with confusion and she opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped when she saw his hardening expression. He appeared almost...._angry. _

Rose just rolled her eyes and shook her head, probably finding Poe's behavior irritating. Rey smiled over at the two men, whom she had yet to even meet, and proceeded to follow Poe across the yard towards the guesthouse.

Great, she knew she was going to get it now---his whole body language and demeanor immediately told her he was about to chew her out! 

"Are _you_ kidding me right now, Rey?!" Poe asked, eyeing her up and down when they were far away enough for everyone. "What the _fuck_ are you wearing?!" 

Her brows knitted together as she tried her best to keep her voice under control, but it was a losing battle. She was super fucking pissed at him and the way he was constantly behaving at this point!

"Are _you_ kidding me right now, Poe?!"

"Fuck no, I'm not _fucking_ kidding right now?! We just fucking talked about this shit the other night! Don't you have a one-piece in that damn hunk of a suitcase you brought with you?!"

"No, I don't have a one-piece in that hunk of a trunk! I have a bikini covered with a fucking sarong!"

Puffing out his an exasperated breath, he scrubbed his face with hands. He couldn't believe she had done something so careless---especially when he had told her, over and over again that there was going to be other guys present at this party! _Fuck, you never listen to me, Rey?! _

"Well, then at least go the fuck back upstairs and put on a pair of damn shorts, then!" 

"I'm not doing that! She scoffed, putting both hands on her hips. "You are seriously overreacting right now--in case you haven't noticed it's blazing hot out there, there's a pool that I plan on going in and I want to work on my tan if that's all right with you?!"

"I'm not fucking joking here, Rey. You're going to put me in a really bad spot if I catch any of these guys looking at you!"

**********

She tilted her head to the side, studying in his overall demeanor. His voice left no room for an argument, and the last thing she wanted was for him to get drunk and start a fight. She walked away from without a backward glance and proceeded to head back upstairs to do as he had asked of her.

Beyond pissed at this point, she made sure she slipped on the shortest pair of booty shorts that she owned. To top it all off, she left her bikini top on and uncovered.

By the time she made her way back outside, Rose was lying on a plush beach chair, talking on her cell-phone. Rey walked over tot he four men, shot Poe a wry smile, and politely asked him to make her a Captain and Diet Coke on the rocks.

He didn't look too happy with her new ensemble, but it was obvious he saw the look in her eyes this time telling him to "deal with it." He honored her request and went to make her a drink.

Ben stared over at Poe as he walked away and flicked his eyes down to Rey's shorts. He knew that Poe had made her change. He gritted this teeth, not understanding why his best friend couldn't be proud to show off what he clearly had. _If she were mine, I'd show her off the whole fucking world_, Ben thought. Nevertheless, a charming smile ran across his mouth as he gazed into Rey's eyes.

"I'd like to introduce you to my buddies, Chris and Joey. Guys this is Poe Dameron's girlfriend, Rey." 

She smiled and shook each of their hands. Seeing that they could pass for brothers---their eyes, hair and features were strikingly similar---she then asked on impulse. "Are you two related by any chance?"

Chris spoke up first, his blue eyes eyes wide. "That's a very good observation there; we're cousins, actually."

Joe smirked and patted Chris hard on the back. "Yes, unfortunately our mothers are sisters."

Rey laughed with him. She quickly learned that both men had gone to high-school with Ben and Hux. They'd relocated to Florida and opened up a landscaping business together after graduating from college. When Poe brought her a drink over, she excused herself from the group of men and for extra comfortable on one of the many poolside beach chairs with Rose.

Evidently, Rose had seen the whole display between Rey and Poe earlier and made no hesitation to let her own point of view on the situation. "Rey, seriously, he's really starting to become---"

Rey held up a finger silencing her on the spot. She was not going to dive into that again--it was over, done with. "Please, Rose, just let it go for now."

"Seriously?" Rose said as she propped herself up on her elbow, flashing her best friend a frown. "Let it go? He's treating you like---"

"Yes, please! I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?"

"Fine, I'll let it go, for now, but I have to say this and I don't care if you do like it or not---Douchbucket is officially an even bigger asshole in my books for the way he fucking keeps treating you." She remarked, securing her hair into a messy bun.

She then reached for the suntan lotion and began smearing it all over her milky-white skin. This wasn't not only fair to her, but to Ben and his guests. They were here to celebrate and have fun, not to live in Poe Dameron's constant drama bubble, which, is where he seemed to be living quite often these days. 

"I'm only going to say this once, but you need to grow a goddamn back bone with him soon or later because you're letting him walk the fuck all over you." Rose stated as she slowly leaned back on the beach chair.

Ignoring Rose's statement, Rey watched the waves tumble against the shoreline. While soaking up the warm sun, she concentrated on the Frank Sinatra song playing over the stereo, about good old, New York. Over the next few hours, Ben's gazed traveled from Rey and then back to Poe, like it was an internal battle.

He positioned himself perfectly at the table to maintain an unobstructed view of her face while trying to focus on a conversation with his friends and guests. However, his mind continually strayed back to the thought of her soft hand against his lips when he had kissed it only a few days before.

His eyes burned with adoration whenever he saw her laugh with Rose who was lounging bu the pool. Her smile was like an additive drug, and her voice sounded celestial.

Although they stole furtive glances at each other throughout the day, Ben admired her from afar, not wanting to make the situation hand any more awkward. But damn he wanted to be close to her----_so_ close that they were basically touching, skin to skin. As night fell, the small crowd jumped from a sudden booming sound coming from the front of the home.

Lighting off a few fireworks before making his way towards the backyard was Hux's way of announcing his arrival. Beaming a smile, he strolled in and barked out his signature line, "I'm here now folks, let the party begin!"

Rose's boy-toy, though Rey considered him her "actual" boyfriend at this point, Finn, showed up shortly afterwards. Rose hopped up, squealing and gave him a kiss, letting the other men know she was his. Christ ignored Rose as he eyed the beautiful red hair standing next to her completely without a companion at her side. 

Rose smacked her his arm as she walked away, strolling over towards Rey. "Finn, this is my best friend, Rey. You know the one I keep telling you about."

"Hey, it's good to finally meet you." Finn smiled. "I've heard quite a lot about you. It's nice to finally put a face with a name---for so long, I thought she had made you up or something."

Rey stood and shook Finn's hand. "You, too. You made you way out here without getting lost, I see. Rose was so terrified that you wouldn't be able to find the place."

Finn leaned in and kissed Rose's cheek. "Aw, sweetie, you were worried about me, I see?"

"Of course, I was."

Poe then made his way over towards Rey when Rose and Finn had finally wandered off to mingle with Ben's other guests. He sighed and then gently pulled her against his body. "Babe, listen, I'm sorry about what happened earlier. i was such an asshole. Can you ever forgive me?

She searched his eyes, trying to under his sudden and deliberate change. She didn't understand why he was behaving like this around her and her friends---was the new job really starting to make him become the evil, jealous type?

"You seriously have me so confused right now, Poe. You have never ever acted like this when I was in college."

"I know, Rey." He whispered, reaching for her hand and giving it a firm squeezing before bringing it up to his mouth and kissing it tenderly. "I-I just love you so fucking much. I'm afraid of losing you to someone else, is all."

"I'm not going anywhere. I love you more than you realize, Poe. I trust in us enough to come out here to be with that. That by itself should say enough, don't you think?" 

Placing his hand on the nape of her hem he drew her in closer. "You're right." He then leaned in to kiss her lips and she accepted it without a second thought as they stole a few extra moments to reconcile. Poe gently pulled back slowly and stoked his fingers through her long hair. "I'll ease up a bit, I promise."

Rey smiled faintly, hoping that somehow he would prove to be true to his word. Poe then playfully smacked her on the ass, gave her yet another kiss, and let her know that he was going to game a few games of pool with Chris and Joe. She watched him disappear into the house. Rey then strolled over to join Rose and Finn where they were snuggling together on the lounge chair, overly excited just to be together.

It was then that Ben tossed a deck of cards onto the table in front of Rey.

Ben smiled wickedly. "So a little birdy told me that you enjoy playing a little poker every now and again."

Rey looked over at Hux as he then pulled up a seat to the table. Her eyes immediately flickered back to Ben. "I play a pretty good game, I must admit." 

"I see....and your game of choice would be what, exactly?" Ben questioned, placing a mahogany box filled to the brim with poker chips onto the table. "I would like to see what floats your boat, so to speak, Miss Johnson."

"My game of choice would be called "Texas Hold'em." said Rey. 

"Mm, very good to know, because that's my favorite, as well." He sat sitting down across from her. "So, shall we then" He the opened the deck of cards and began shuffling them in his large hands. 

"We shall indeed, Mr. Solo."

"And we'll just sit back and watch." Rose piped up. She immediately shot Rey a teasing grin, and Rey just shook her head.

"Well, you two may think you're expert players, but I'm pretty damn sure that I'm going to clean you both out." Hux said with a laugh as he peered over to look at both Rey and Ben. He the tossed a fresh one-hundred dollar bill down onto the table. "I'm certified pro. But don't say that I didn't warn you both."

Ben just huffed at this statement as he stared down at the cards in his hands. Hux like to talk the "big" talk, but usually he never ever came through. 

"Seriously, we're playing for real money here?" Rey asked, nervously.

"We are are." Ben said as he also tossed two one-hundred dollar bills onto the table. "I just it in for you---so, don't worry, I got this." 

"You really don't have to do that." Rey replied, standing up. "I'll just go and get some money from Poe."

"Eh, don't worry about it. I'll get it back from him as I wipe both you and Hux out", Ben remarked, flashing her one of his dimpled smiles. Hux was obviously too busy shuffling to acknowledge Ben's statement, but Rey wasn't too busy to notice Ben's heart-stopping smile.

She hesitantly sat back down and thew him a smile of her very own. "So, you think you're going to wipe me out, is that it, Solo?"

A lopsided smirk split clean across his youthful face. God, he looked so much younger than twenty-nine. In fact, he barely looked a day old than twenty---someone got their good genes from somewhere, apparently. 

"Oh, trust me," Ben went on to add, shuffling his stack and then staring up at Rey once more. "I'm absolutely positive that I will." 

Grinning, Rey leaned back in her chair. "We shall see about that, Mr. Solo." 

The way his last name slid off her tongue had Ben trying to contain his emotions threatening to pour from his body. He licked his lips hungrily as he stared at her and dealt out the cards to each individual siting around their tight knit little table. With their cards in hand, drinks flowing and Rose and Finn as their spectators, the game began. Over the next hour or so, both Rey and Ben depleted Hux of all his chips.

They continuously made fun of his earlier statement about beating them. Now....it was just between the two of them. Who was going to win? And who was going to loose?

"Okay, okay, you two keep running your mouths, but just for the record, I'm pretty drunk right now, that's why my game is a little off tonight." Hux said defended himself and retreated to the lounge chair next to Rose and Finn. "Had it be any other night and I would've kicked both your asses."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself there, pal." Ben scoffed, placing yet another card down. "The proverbial drank-too-much-and-played-like-an-ass-excuse. Totally classic of you, Hux." Ben laughed.

Hux just shook his head with a defeated look molding his face. "I'm reach far with that one, right."

Ben finished the last of his beer, before answering. "I'd say so, but I've experienced the same drunken play many nights before." he admitted, dealing another hand to himself and Rey.

After a few minutes of studying each other's faces for who might have the better hand here, Rey cleared her throat. "I'm all in." She then pushed her growing stack of chips into the middle of the table as a wide "I fucking dare" you smile crept slowly over her lips. Ben regarded her carefully as he drummed his fingers against his now empty beer bottle.

Trying to drag his gaze from hers, Ben then looked down at his cards. He then held up two kings and one was already lying face up on the table. Slowly leaning forward, he tilted his head and smiled at her.

"You might not want to do that, Miss Johnson."

Rey then also leaned forward, mimicking his overall cockiness. It was much harder than she thought as she stared unblinking dark eyes. "What's the matter there, Solo? Afraid to call it?" 

Rose, Finn and Hux watched closely, curiously expressions tight of their faces. Rey smirked and pushed his stack of chips against hers. He was going all win—he would, for her. He’d do anything for her. Anything. 

“I hold fear at bay for minuscule amount of things in my life, but calling your bluff isn’t one of them.” He laughed as he flipped over his cards. “I’d like to introduce you to my friends—Larry, Moe and Curly.” 

Rose belted our a tiny gasp. “Oh shit, you’re in serious trouble now, Rey. He just pulled the Three Stooges move on.” 

Rey widened her eyes in mock horror. “Hmm, I might be.” 

She tapped the edge of her cards against the table and smirked across the table at him. He just thought, he knew how to play this game. He hadn’t played against her...until now. 

“But considering that I have three aces, I think I’m pretty good for now.” 

Fanning her cards along the table as her face brightened with a huge, satisfied smile. The small group—including Ben—hooted out in hysterical laughter.

With her smile beaming ear to ear, Rey yanked the three-hundred dollars bulls off the table and tucked them the back pockets of her shorts. In that moment, the tension in both Ben and Rey’s shoulders—from the way their worlds have collided—deflated and vanished like a ghost.

Eventually, Chris, Joe and Poe made their way back inside. Ben took a few minutes to fill Poe in on his devastating loss against Rey. Poe immediately shot Rey a proud smile. The group helped Ben clean up, and everyone then decided it was bear to call it a night.

Before the doves of guests arrived, the guests usually indulged in a very early morning fishing trip on Ben’s dads boat, so sleep was definitely needed. Everyone said goodnight before heading to their designated rooms. 


	6. Chapter 6

It was well after one in the morning when Rey crawled out of bed. Poe’s liquor-enhanced snoring has kept her wide awake for most of the night. Attempting to go back to sleep, she nudged him, flipped on the television, and even placed a pillow over his face in the hopes of stifling the absurd noise.

None of it worked. Deciding a good dose of fresh air might help bring on sleep, she quietly opened the French doors that led our to the balcony. 

Immediately, it was as if the ocean called to her. She walked over to the edge of the balcony and peered our at the distant waves tumbling onto the sand dunes. As her senses started to absorb the sounds, smells and sights engulfing her, Ben’s deep “hello” made her jump in fright. 

She whirled around, a curl of hair catching on her lips, and found him sitting on an Adirondack chair with nothing on but a loose pair of black sweatpants. One day, I’m gonna ask him if he owns any other color in that wardrobe of his. 

“Jesus Christ!” She let out louder an anticipated. 

“Uh, no it’s Ben. Benjamin Solo.” He deadpanned, reaching for a beer from a six pack at his feet. “Although, in certain private, one-on-one situations, I’ve been referred to as God.” 

He laughed. With an unladylike snort, Rey laughed along with him. God, he was so amazing even when he was trying to be funny. Why couldn’t Poe be more like this? Loose and carefree? 

“You’re too much, Solo.” 

“Aren’t I, though?”

“Yes, very.” She replied and then turned back to the door. She realized that if she stayed out here with him--things might get could and probably would get sexually awkward and fast. “I also didn’t realizing this was a connecting balcony. I’ll let you have your privacy.” 

“By all means, stay and have a beer with me. I can’t drink all of these on my own, anyways.” 

With the mildest trepidation, she cautiously made her way over to him. He popped open a beer for her. 

“Thanks.” She replied, accepting it and sinking into a chair next to him. 

“You’re very welcome. So what brings you on the balcony in the wee hours of the night?” Ben then asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. "What's the matter? Can't sleep?"

“You mean you can’t hear that?” Rey snorted, pointing to the bedroom behind her. “He could wake up the fucking dead with all that snoring he does.”

Ben's brows knitted in confusion as he looked around. He then pointed towards the shore and said. "Uh, I only hear the waves down by the beach."

"Well, then you're lucky." Rey sighed. "Because I can still hear Poe snoring and knowing his drunken-sleeping stupor, he'll be like that all fucking night long too. Just my luck--no sleep for me tonight."

"Ah, I see." He snickered, propping up his feet on a small outdoor ottoman. "Us men as you call it know how to knock it out of the ballpark when it comes to things like that."

Rey just shook her head and took another long sip of her beer. It eased the dryness in her throat and she slowly began to feel more at ease whereas before, talking to him constantly made her nervous---uneasy. 

"I've tried literally everything short of smothering him to death at this point to get him to stop."

Ben nodded and winked over at her. "Hmm, that's actually not a bad idea. You'd be available to me then." 

"Be nice, Benjamin." She playfully chided. 

"Yes ma'am." He clipped, and Rey shook her head in utter disbelief.

His dry sense of humor and perfect timing---it lifted her dampened spirits, and that's just what she felt she needed after the horrific events from today with Poe. A few minutes went was clear with a magnificent view of the stars and a cool, summer breeze skirted its way across the way. 

"So, I didn't see you go down to the water today," Ben remarked, reaching for another yet another beer. He popped the top off and tossed it into a terra-cotta pot that held quite a few bottle caps already. "What's the matter? Don't you like the beach scenery?"

"Actually, I love the beach." She drew in a deep breath as her gaze slid from his out over to the water. "Some of the best memories that I have of my mom and dad come from endless days spent on the beach I spent with them."

Heaviness settled in Ben's chest. He knew that both her parents had passed away and that she was an orphan who went through foster home after foster home. When they were at the club, he'd wanted to say something to her but felt it was inappropriate to do so unless she brought it up first.

He continued to stare at her, struggling to find the right words to say to her. He shifted his body to face hers.

"I'm very sorry about what you had to go through, losing them, I mean." He finally stated softly.

She drew in her knees up under her chin and glanced over to him, giving him a weak smile. "Thank you, Ben."

"If you don't mind, I'd love to hear about the memories you have of them on the beach." His voice was low and cautious as he gazed intensively into her eyes.

"Really?" A faint smiled tugged at her lips.

He nodded and smiled slowly back at her. "I'd be honored--besides, I think only the best details could come from you anyways and not from what very little that Poe has told me."

She took a minute to compose her thoughts. No one had ever taken the time to listen to her thoughts, to hear her story and see it being told through her eyes---no one, not until....Benjamin Solo had walked so unexpectedly into her life.

"Well, when I was a kid, they'd both save up all their savings just so we could visit Santa Cruz. They would rent this little condo right on the beach, and we'd literally spend the entire day outside. We'd fly kites for hours on end and ride our bikes to the boardwalk." She paused, looking over at and smiled, hoping that she wasn't boring him out. He hung onto her every word and she felt it was safe to continue on.

"Please, do go on--I want to hear more."

"My mom used to love making sand angels, like the ones you make in the snow." She then let out a light laugh at the memory and wiped away a tear that was falling down the side of her cheek.

"Rey, I...." Ben whispered. "My, intentions weren't to upset. Please, I do greatly apologies."

She immediately looked over at him, surprised at his kindness when she felt him taking a firm hold of her hand, squeezing it tightly. It felt warm in his---strong, sturdy and firm. God, she didn't know how much she needed for someone to listen to these words, to understand how she really felt.

"They're....good tears, I assure you, Ben. I just--I just haven't talked about them in a while. Really, you didn't upset me."

Her words left Ben awestruck. He searched her eyes and found traces of happiness mixed with incalculable loss. It melted at his heartstrings and he longed to run his fingers through her hair and console her; he wanted to hold her and help be rid of this pain. He _wanted_ to love her.

"They sound like wonderful memories."

"Yeah, they are---for the most part." She replied, staring straight ahead rather than at him. "It was really hard after the accident, but to tell you the truth, after the funeral, a wave of relief washed over me. They were finally at peace and not suffering anymore."

Wiping another tear away, Rey looked at him and then averted her gaze out towards the ocean once more. God, she wished he could just stop staring at her like that---like someone completely transfixed, captivated by her world, her past.

"There was a point that I actually hoped I would wake up and find out they were gone, but not in pain. It still makes me feel a little guilty that I felt that way, but I couldn't bear watching them suffering in the hospital anymore."

Ben's emotions soared to a place he hadn't dared to revisit in a long while. Once again, he found himself struggling for the right thing to say for he too had, had a taste of death and the darkness, particularly when it came to his own mother. He never told anyone but with Rey, he felt he could finally be himself. 

"I know we may seems like worlds apart, but we share something in common, you and I." His voice was but a whisper. Not knowing if he should really bring up, he turned to look at her. Rey seemed confused. "My family nearly lost my mother to breast cancer when I was twelve. I couldn't handle it so my father sent me upstate to live with my uncle, Luke Skywalker while she recovered." 

Rey breathed out, not having a clue as to what to say. His statement shook her from her own self-pity. Ben then did something impetuous. He simply felt the dire need to touch her, so he leaned over and wiped the tears from her cheek.

Rey didn't move dare move--her heart secretly had longed for.

"I remember what it felt like seeing her sick and in pain. The fear of just not knowing what life would be without her is something I'll never forget, but I just know one day that I'll face that uncertain truth. I also remember feeling exactly the way you did. I wanted it to end---for her to either just die so she could be at peace or for her to get better. I couldn't see her like anymore. I used to crucify myself for feeling like that. Rey, just know whatever you felt---what we felt---is a very real, normal human reaction but know you're not alone." 

"Neither are you." Rey whispered softly.

Sniffling, she glanced at him, noticing the once sensual perfection of his face now touched with grief. Behind those brown eyes was the soul of a man who has gone through his own share of pain, and Rey couldn't decide what was worse; losing her parents to a car accident or him living in fear that his mother's cancer could very well one day back to torment him.

With concern edging his eyes, Ben slowly leaned forward and studied her face. A weak smile crept over his plump, red lips.

"Now that I've managed to fuck up a pretty decent evening by making you cry, why don't we play a little game to lighten this rather dark mood?"

Rey let out a gut-belly laugh due to the wide range of emotions that were flying through her all at once. "You didn't fuck up the evening, Ben. I promise." She slowly stood, wiped the last few tears from her eyes, and stretched her arms over her head. "I really needed that, believe me. Someone who would just listen for a change."

He stood up with her and smiled. "Okay, good. So you'll still play a game with me, then?"

She smirked, eyeing him suspiciously. "What type of game would the mighty Benjamin Solo suggest that we play? And no wisecracks either."

"Mmm, that's a pretty tough request." He said flashing an impish grin, and without another word, he slid the bottle-cap filled terracotta pot to the middle of the balcony between them. He playfully commanded her to sit cross-legged on the floor ten feet away from it.

With her expression showing her curiosity, she did as she was instructed. He opened the doors to his own bedroom and disappeared briefly.

Rey sat alone for a few moments, wondering what on earth he was doing. When he reappeared, he was carrying a black and crimson red First Order Holdings sweatshirt over his shoulder and a freezer bag holding additional bottle caps.

Walking over, he tossed the sweatshirt on top of her head and chuckled slightly. "You looked a little cold. Put that on."

He sat cross-legged down on the floor next to her with their knees barely touching. It was a rather odd sight, seeing as he had barely been able to sit in that chair without hunching over---the six-foot-three lug! Smiling, she yanked the sweatshirt over her head and slipped it on.

For a brief second, she tried to burn the smell of his cologne into her memory. It reminded her of when they were in the elevator. She couldn't quite pin what the smell was--a mixture of cologne, body wash, and aftershave came to mind.

"So tell me, what's the name of this game we're about to play here, Solo?"

Ben looked into her hazel eyes. Under the light of the moon, they looked almost angelic.

"It's kind of hard to pronounce." He slowly replied, staring at her lips as he tried to shake his fascination with her from his body.

"Try me, Solo." 

He dropped his voice to a whisper and purposely hesitated between each and every word as they tumbled from his mouth. "It's....called...."Toss...the...Bottle...Cap....into...the Pot....that...one, right there." 

He pointed to the pot. Trying to ignore how utterly sexy his deep voice sounded when he whispered, Rey playfully nudged his arm. _Smart-ass, Solo!_

"Wow, you truly are a wise-ass, aren't you, Solo?"

"Yes, in every possible way imaginable." He said as he handed her a couple of used beer caps. "You go first, Miss Johnson."

Barely able to see, Rey crinkled her nose as she focused on the spot. She tossed the first one and missed by at least five feet. Immediately, the both began to laugh. When it was Ben's turn, he closed his eyes and sank it right into the pot. _Well, that was a cheep move, Solo. You cheated!_

"I'm just assuming here, so I apologize in advance if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking you've played this game more than once." She remarked.

"Why, I've only played this game twice, of course." 

Rey threw another and missed only by a foot this time. "Twice, my ass. There have to be at least five hundred bottle caps in that special little freezer bag of yours."

Ben shot her wry smile. "Close but no cigar and for your information, Miss Johnson, it's over a thousand."

"Drink much, Solo?"

He chuckled at her remark, but shrugged his shoulders and replied. "Many summers, many parties just like this one, many, many friends equals a huge beer bottle-cap collection."

She shook her head---he really was a rich boy from the Hamptons. "And speaking of such collections, I noticed the many vehicles parked in your parent's driveway. A motorcycle, a BMW, an Audi and a Bentley, and I don't know the name of the other car."

He smiled. "It's an Nissan GT-R.'"

"Yes, a Nissan GT-R." She laughed, amused. "Boys and their many, _many_ toys, I swear."

Rubbing his chin, he gazed deep into her eyes for a second. "Don't we all have to fill voids in our live with something to distract us? Yours is books--yes, Poe told me and mine is my cars."

Taken aback, Rey searched his face, unsure of how to answer him. He flashed a smile and causally tossed another cap into the pot. She could tell there was more behind his question than she could possibly understand. The first thing that popped into her mind was an onion.

Ben Solo had many layers that definitely needed to be peeled back. Some were true to their form, but others simply a cast-iron veneer she felt she wore around himself for protection.

After several hit and miss thrown caps and some very much-needed laughter, Ben looked down at his watch and noticed it was past three in the morning._ Fucking hell, time flies by when one is in love--I-I mean having fun._ Standing up, he offered Rey his hand was surprised when she accepted.

His voice slid through the night air like the finest cashmere silk. "Well, even though our evening started off a little sad, I had a great time with you, Rey." 

She felt the stroke of his heated gaze on her, warming her inside and out. She slowly pulled her hand from his and cupped the back of her neck as she stared up into his brown eyes.

"I did too, Ben." 

He smiled, walked away and opened the double French doors that led to his bedroom, but not before he stopped and turned to look at her one last time. Nervously, biting her lip she, she made her way into the room where Poe lay sleeping.

Still snoring.

As she closed the doors behind her, Rey leaned against them, panicky and once again breathless. Sliding her fingers down her neck, she tried to rationalize the visceral pull that Ben had over her, but she was just too tired at that point to even begin to understand it. 

*********

A knock against the door and a low groan from Poe registered somewhere in the back of Rey's sleeping brain. Forcing one eye open, she made our Hux's head poking into the bedroom. 

"Fuck!" Poe shouted gruffly. "What the hell, Hux?! What time is it?"

"It's time to get our fishing freak on, man." Hux answered a little too cheerfully. 

Poe ran a palm over his face, shot Hux a hard look, and lifted his head gingerly over in Rey's direction. She was still on her side of the bed asleep--or at least was pretending to be at this point. Damn, that Armitage Hux sure does like to make a grand entrance wherever he goes!

"Are you getting up, babe?"

Peering at the clock through hooded lids, Rey saw it was only seven, so she curled the duvet tightly around her body and snuggled deeper into the bed sheets, unwilling to move. 

"No, I'm not." She moaned out and rolled over, covering her head. "Just get in the shower, and I'll get up in a little while."

Cursing about the early morning wake-up call, all thanks to Hux, Poe slid out of bed and reluctantly padded his way over towards the bathroom. Rey heard the door snap shut with Hux's departure.

Sunlight filtering into the room threatened to wake her further as she nuzzled cozily into the crook of her arm. With a deep breath, her nose inhaled the heavenly, intoxicating, mind-numbing smell that was Ben as she tried to fall back to sleep.

_Ben? What the....._

Realizing she was still wearing his sweatshirt, she sat straight up. In half a heartbeat, she yanked it off, jumped out of the bed and haphazardly shoved it into a nightstand drawer

. With trembling fingers, she rubbed her eyes and to be rid her mind of what Poe's reaction would've been had he caught her packaged nearly in his best friend's sweatshirt. After a few minutes, the unexpected anxiety ebbed, and with a sigh, she settled back into the bed, but she couldn't fall asleep. 

Still groaning in agonized distress, Poe came out of the bathroom. Rey saw he looked tired, pale and haggard. After she to sooth him with a massage, she dropped a kiss on his cheek and jumped in the shower, too.

When she reemerged she found him sprawled out on the bed in a black t-shirt and cargo shorts with crease of his elbow shading his eyes.

"So, what are your plans while I'm fishing with the guys?" He asked, his voice low and garbled.

"I'm going to hang out with Rose and Finn until they leave." She replied, plugging her hair-dryer. "They're heading back to the city later today to spend the day at Finn's family's house."

Grumbling, he stood on shaky legs and sauntered out of the room. By the time Rey treaded downstairs, it was a quarter past eight. Poe sat at the kitchen island bar with his head hidden between his folded arms as he continued to mumble to himself. Ben smiled at Rey over his newspaper.

As it did ever time she walked into the room, his whole body went on high alert. He felt his blood begin to pump even faster as she made her way over to the kitchen island. The silky white material of her sundress, gliding along her thighs and contrasting against her perfectly evenly pale skin made him nearly speechless.

Ben cleared his throat as he brought his cup of coffee to his lips. "He's making promises of never allowing whiskey into his system ever again if the drinking gods help him get through the day. He was never one to handle his liquor all that well." 

Although muffled from his arms, the words were clean and to the point.

"Fuck off, Ben." Poe hissed.

Ben just chuckled and immediately returned his gaze to Rey. "Would you like some coffee, Rey?"

"Yeah, that sounds awesome. Thank you." said Rey as she sat next to Poe. 

"You're very welcome." Ben stood up, his towering figure only churning all the emotions inside of Rey as she watched him reach a mug from the cabinet, poured some coffee in it, and made his way to the refrigerator. 

Peering at Rey shoulder his broad shoulders, his smiled was soft and curled with knowledge. What on earth was he up to now?

"Just a guess, but you look like a girl who takes cream and sugar in her coffee."

Her mouth fell open and then immediately snapped shut again. He remembered! Shaking her head, she smiled at him. Ben quirked a mischievous brown and walked back with the mug in his hands. As she reached for it he slipped something into her hand. Her eyes flickered over to where Poe was still hiding from the light of day.

Ben set the coffee down in front of her and took his seat. Opening her hand, Rey glanced down at what she held--a bottle cap. Her gaze slid over to Ben who was causally sipping on his own coffee, newspaper in hand, with a very faint smile on his lips. She just shook her head at him, daring to believe the prankster he really was and smiled back at him.

Poe straightened and quickly turned around at the sound of a doorbell. He groaned as Ben made his way over to answer it. When he answered, Rey watched him greet two men who appeared to be relatives of his.

The younger of the two was very good-looking with the same sharp chiseled features and hair color but had a body slightly heavier than Ben's.

The senior, however was literally Ben's twin--fast-forward twenty or so years--with a hint of silver sprinkled throughout out his hair. His wide grin flashed with practiced ease as they all walked back into the kitchen.

Chuckling, the older man's brows arched over his green eyes as he gently patted Poe's back. "You're looking a little rough around the edges there, son. Rough night, I take it then, eh?"

"Good morning, Mr. Solo." Poe stood up to shake his hand. "And yeah, I think I drank a little too much last night."

"Well prepare to drink a little more today there, youngling." He quipped, holding up a bottle of Grand Mariner and a couple of fishing poles.

Shaking hos head with a smile, Poe looked over at Ben. "Your old man's literally going to kill me today with all the drinking, isn't he?"

"I'm pretty sure that isn't his intentions at all." Ben settled back into his seat. "Right...Dad?"

"Absolutely!" He then glanced in Rey's direction, a charming grin touched his lips. "Hello, what do we have here, boys?"

Poe immediately curled his arm around her waist. "This is my girlfriend, Rey. Rey Johnson. Rey, this is Ben's personal assistant and almost like a brother to the family, Tim Makita, and his father, Han."

"It's very nice to meet you both." She smiled and shook each of their hands.

“Rey, do you by any chance have any sisters for my friend here?” Tim asked with his thumb in Ben’ Direction. 

Ben just rolled his eyes at this response and downed the last bit of his coffee. This is just whah he needed his own personal assistant trying to set him up, as usual with some random chick. He was content with just having Rey at his side. 

“I know his mother really wants him married off soon.” Tim went on to add in a sarcastic manner.

“Unfortunately, I regret to tell you, I’m an only child.” Rey laughed. 

Tim then tossed his arm around Ben’s neck. “Oh well, the search shall continue then as they say.”

Ben sighed and once again just rolled his eyes at his at Tim non-mission of continuously trying to find him a woman. He would make sure to remedy that little statement Monday morning at the office when he had shit loads of paperwork ready for him on his desk. 

Eventually, Hux, Joe and Chris made their way downstairs to join the rest of the group. However, the second that Hux entered, Ben made no distinction on calling him out on his attire. 

“What the hell are you wearing, Hux?!” Ben questioned. 

Wearinf his finest fishing hat and vest scattered with endless hooks and little plastic worms, Hux sniffer haughtily. _You’re just jealous that I’m wearing this insanely good outfit and not you, Solo. I get it. You can’t afford to be beautiful all the time, unlike some of us. _

“Whatever, dude. I look fabulous!” 

Hux then poured some coffee into Styrofoam cup and turned back around to face Ben and the rest of the gang. If Solo wanted to play a little hardball, he had no problem tossing a fast one every now and again. _Game on then, Solo! _

"At least I actually get on the damn boat, Solo." 

Each of the men---except Ben and his father broke out into a riot of laughter. Ben just shook his head with an amused grin and let the partial insult slide. He'd get Hux back later---this wasn't over, not by a long shot.

Hux then slapped Ben hard on the back of the shoulder. "What is the big, bad Benjamin Organa-Solo speechless? No, not him!"

Standing up from the table to refill his coffee, Ben just grinned. "Go ahead, lay it all on me assholes. But in my defense, it comes from my mother's side of the family---I mean, I can go, but you risk me throwing up chunks all over the boat and possible that ridiculous outfit of yours, Hux."

Rey drew up a very confused brow as she looked up at Ben. "You don't go on boats?"

Ben's smile was slow, which only made his copper-amber eyes sparkle that much more. "Technically, I can, but I don't particularly like going out when the water's choppy like this morning. I get slightly seasick sometimes--and I'm sure that's the last thing these guys want, for their fishing trip to be ruined for my sickness?" 

There was a low murmurs of "yes's" and "nopes" floating around the kitchen island. Poe then stood up, walked over to him and slapped him on the shoulder--giving him one of his many "teasing" you smiles.

"Slightly sick? You wind up praying to the damn sea gods to get you through the majority of the trip without puking or do I need to resolve to the summer of 2018, huh? Huh? Phew, that one was a doosey!" 

Shaking his head, Ben tossed his boat keys to his father. "Okay, you've have your fun, and each and every one of you needs to get the hell out of my house now---"

"Excuse me? You're house?" Han asked, brows furrowed.

"Sorry, dad." Ben laughed, "_Your_ house."

Chuckling, Han patted his son on his back. The conversation and laughter followed while the men took a few more minutes preparing for the day out on the water. After making sure they had enough ice, food, liquor and night crawlers to last until the afternoon, they were good to go.

Rey followed Poe to the door to kiss him goodbye and let him take it easy on the drinking. She then watched the group make their way into the dewy morning air down to the boat. After closing the door, Rey turned and found Ben sitting at the island bar, coffee in one hand and his eyes intent on his morning paper.

She then walked back upstairs, figuring it was probably a good time to talk to Rose and Finn before she could, Ben called out and asked her to sit down with him.

As she moved towards him, she gave herself a fierce mental talk inside her head. She'd enjoying hanging out with him a little too much last night, and because of that, she had developed more than just a physical attraction towards him.

Tingles of something she had never ever expected immediately began to race through her, and a strange anxiety caused by his close proximity permeated her bones--more so than before. And that....that wasn't a good thing.

As she sat down next to him, Rey tried her best to ignore the way his just-fucked-looking black hair went in every direction, but especially that slight curl of his bangs. It made him look.....well....even hotter. Tossing a hand through his just-fucked hair, he placed the newspaper down and smiled over at her. 

"I just wanted to give you a little fair warning that within a few hours, the house will become a little...chaotic." 

"Oh, really, how so?" She asked, fidgeting with the hem of her sundress. "I thought that all of your guests wouldn't be here until after three today."

Ben's eyes flicked down to her thighs and then back to her once more. He swallowed hard. "Well, the caterers and the company that sets up the tents will be here soon. If you like, we can go down by the beach or maybe get in the pool together." 

Rey shifted nervously in her chair, her gaze holding steady to his. It was like staring passion dead in the face and being expected to be struck down dead from it, it was like that saying, "if looks could kill", then this would be it.

"I mean...you...you can go down to the pool." He corrected himself quickly. Jesus Christ! He slowly dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. 

She watched his lips a little too intently, and pushed her seat away from the counter to stand up. "Yeah, I'll see." She then proceeded to walk back over towards the stairs. "I'm just going to....uh...go and wake up Rose and Finn, now." 

He nodded, and she trotted up the stairs. Rey gave a quick knock at the door, and Rose yelled for her to come in. When she entered, the both of them were already getting ready to leave. What--she was not leaving now, was she? She couldn't--she wouldn't!

"Why the heck are you packing now?" Rey asked. "I thought you two weren't leaving until three."

Rose tossed the last of her items into her back-pack. "Finn's mom is sick, so she called him asking if we could get out there earlier to help cook. Ugh, I'm totally not looking forward to this drive back either."

Rey pressed her lips into a tight line and sank down onto the edge of the bed. Sighing, she leaned against a pillow, noticeably flustered by this whole situation. God, that mean, she was going to be in the house completely alone with....with Ben.

Rose looked over at her. "Why do you look so freaked out about us leaving, Rey? You knew I wasn't staying the entire time." 

“Because Ben didn’t go fishing with everyone else and I’ll be stuck here alone—with him.” 

“Oh yeah that’s right—it’s the whole seasick things, I forgot.”

A slow grin then slid across Rose’s face. It was the perfect opportunity for them to get to know each other a little better. Seriously, fuck you Rose Tico, Rey thought as she stared across the room at her. 

“

Why would you be upset about being here alone with him? I’d say it’s the perfect opportunity to for you to get a little taste of something...yummy.”

“

Damn it, Rose!” Rey spar angrily. “I’m not fucking kidding anymore! Stop it with your bullshit!”

Rose stood aghast, like a deer in headlight, as Rey pushed to her feet and tore past her. Stalking down the hallway, Rey entered her room, tossed her suitcase onto the bed and immediately stated packing.

Rose cautiously entered the room behind her and saw her throwing her belongings into the suitcase at rapid speed. 

“And just what the hell are you doing, Rey?” 

“

What does it look like, Rose? I’m leaving with you guys!” She hastily answered. “I’m not staying here in this house alone with him.”’

Rose then walked over and grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around in a swift moron. My God, she’s really terrified right now! 

“Rey, you need to call the fuck down, okay?!” 

But Rey pilled away from her and continued to pack up her stuff. Why wasn't she listening to her? And worse whah would Poe say?

“Rey, listen to me, all right? His mother and a few other friends should be there soon. It’s not just going to be the two of you alone in this big ass house! 

Meet abruptly stopped packing and flopped down onto the bed and placed her fingers on her temples in attempt to relax her racing thoughts. Breathe, Johnson. You need to fucking breathe or you’ll be in for one long as trio to the hospital. Maybe, Rose is right. Maybe I’m overreacting a little. 

Rose then sat down next to her. “What is going on in your mind, Rey? Talk to me.” 

Rey just shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. “I hate that I actually like the way he stares at me, Rose. I hate that he’s Poe's best friend and that we’re all here together. And I hate that I have any of these thoughts to begin with. I owe so much to Poe. I shouldn’t be thinking anything about his friend like this—but I am.” 

“First, you need to stop feeling like your completely indebted to dumbass, okay?” Rose said as she placed a hand on Rey’s shoulder. “Secondly, he just did what any good boyfriend would have done. Nothing special. And third, Ben's family will be here soon like I said. Also, how would you explain to Dickhead that you just left out of nowhere?” 

Rey contemplated her question. She was right. Rose was always right. If she used the playing-sick card, Poe would miss a great day of fun because he’d drive back to the city just to be with her.

Rey nodded. Drawing in a much-needed deep breath, she rose to her feet and pulled a book from her belongings. God, I am being so selfish right now! 

“Well then if I’m going to be staying—I’m just going to stay up here in my room and ready until I hear everyone arrive.” 

Rose nodded and stood up again. “Okay, whatever you have to do, then. I love you and I’ll see you Monday night.” 


	7. Chapter 7

“You went swimming, I see.” Poe remarked, peeling the shirt from his body as he and Rey re-entered their room later that afternoon. 

Closing the door, he shed the rest of his clothing and tossed it into the small pile by the door. Rey knew there was a laundry mat downstairs, she would ask Ben if she could wash their clothes before heading back to the city tomorrow. 

“Very good observation.” Rey replied, exhausted from the heat. “How was the fishing trip? Did you and the guys catch anything?” 

Poe, however, did answer her. Instead, he walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower and got in. Clearly, he was upset about something. Go figure, he always seemed upset about something these days and usually it was something that she did. 

“I really do hope you kept the body that belongs to me covered up around my best friend.”

Rey just rolled her eyes and searched for her bag for a particular red gauzy sundress. Her mother had purchased it for her before the accident and she had never gotten around to wear it—-until now. She smiled when she found it and held it against her slender body as she looked at herself in the mirror.

“Hey, you’re not answering me, Rey.” Poe called from inside the shower. “Did you cover yourself up?”

Feeling slightly annoyed, Rey walked into the bathroom and loud a frustrated sigh. This bullshit was really staring to get old—like stale bread old. If he was so damn worried about what she wore, maybe she ought to stick around more often.

“Poe, what do you see right now?” She motioned her hand over her body, her voice a touch irritated.

She clearly wasn’t barking too much skin, but Poe wasn’t having any of it. In fact, in his mind she was always baring too much skin for his taste. Any man could just stop in the middle of whatever it was that he was doing and feast on her figure for his own pleasure.

Fuck, no! She’s mine! He was going to have the last say in this conversation whether she liked it or not. 

“What do I see right now? I see my hot ass girlfriend’s ass hanging all out from beneath her college t-shirt! So why don’t you get on this shower and give your man what he needs? A good thorough fuck.” 

“You seriously think I’m going to have sex with you right now?!” She asked, her eyes bluffing with disbelief. “There’s a shitload of people downstairs right now waiting for us!”

“I said get in the damn shower, Rey.” He commanded. 

“What the hell is wrong with you, Poe? I said NO!”

“Come on, Rey. It’s just hard for me to see you looking like that and not want to fuck around.” He calmly replied as he got out of the shower; his body dripping and his cock hardening as he walked over to where she was leaning against the vanity. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you while I was gone.”

Pressing his body against hers, he quickly dipped his hand into her bikini bottom, making sure to slide his fingers inside of her. A faint moan escaped from her lips as she tried to push him away. 

“You see, you like that.” His voice noticed down huskily as he grazed her lips. 

Sliding his fingers in and out, he used his other hand to glide her baiting suit down past her thighs. He was going to fuck her against this very wall and there wasn’t a thing she could say or do about it. 

“This fucking pussy is mine! No one else’s, Rey! All fucking mine!” He groaned against her cheek. 

“Get...off...me!” She shouted as she pushed him away again. He slammed backwards into the wall and gave her a look of utter confusion. 

She has never refused him before. Now she was standing there as if he was some sort of random strange she had met on the streets. Just as he was a bout to speak, however, a knock came at the bedroom door. 

Shooting Rey a hard glare, Poe yanked a towel from the rack, tossed it around his waist, and leisurely strolled over to answer it. It was Hux, letting him know that a potential client was eager to speak with him regarding a commodities plan downstairs.

Within five minutes, Poe was dressed. However, just as he placed a hand on the door he turned back to face Rey who was poking her head of of the bathroom. 

“We are not done with this conversation, so just FYI.” He murmured in a cold tone.

Walkng out the door, Rey was finally left alone, wondering what the man—whom she desperately loved with every fiber of her being was really morphing into.

That’s not the Poe Dameron she had met three years ago—that was the Poe Dameron who promised work would never come between them. In fact, thinking on it now and for the first time—she didn’t really know who he was. By the time calmed her nerves, showered, and got ready, it was a quarter past seven, and the party was in full swing.

True to Poe's words earlier in the day, there had to be at least 150 people scattered throughout the property. She wove through the crowd of unrecognizable faces as she searched for him. When she couldn't fund him, she sat at one of the bars set up on the patio....alone.

After downing a shot of tequila, a slight pang of guilt for not giving Poe the little he had asked for hit the pit of her stomach.

He'd emotionally taken care of her through the most difficult time in her young life, constantly complimented her--whether about her physical or education attributes--and had made her want for nothing financially. Sex in someone's home--crowded or not---shouldn't really have been that big of an issue in her mind. 

Before her shortcomings in their relationships were able to cut her any deeper into her heart, Rey caught a glimpse of Ben from across the pool, talking with a small group of women.

She noticed as he made conversation with them, he used his hands intimate ways--a slight touch on the nape of the neck to get their attention a causal brush on the arm when he laughed---and the women fell all over themselves whenever he did.

Rey swallowed hard when he glanced over in her direction, essentially catching onto her staring at him. She watched him politely excuse himself from the eager wannabe-future-Mrs. Benjamin Solo group, and casually moved his way towards her.

Casually dressed in a fresh white crisp linen shirt and black shorts, he approached her with a smiled and leaded against the bar. 

"I fins it rather impossible that a woman as beautiful as you is sitting here all alone."

Without evening missing a beat, Rey just shook her head. "You're truly an expert at knowing what to say and do to women, it would seem. Those girls couldn't keep their eyes or their hands off you."

He cocked a smug brow and smiled down at her. "I honestly do not know about that. However, I am an expert at making the world's most delectable....ham sandwiches."

He then laughed and so did Rey. Holding her gaze, he took a long pull from his Bud-Light and looked over his shoulder for any sign of Poe. _Where the fuck was he and how fucking care he leave this beautiful woman all alone and unattended? Fuck it---he can stay gone for as long as he wants for all I care. I am loving spending every moment with you, Rey._

"But really, in all honesty, where's the man should be sitting by your side at this very moment?"

She surveyed the crowd herself. "Oh I'm sure he's around here somewhere---drinking--passed out, who the hell knows."

As Ben's eyes roamed to his guests in an attempt to locate Poe, he then spotted Mara Jade. She was making he way over to him and Rey, and malicious grim smearing across he face. He hastily excused himself, letting Rey know he'd be right back.

Mara rolled her eyes just as Ben approached, his beer clutched tightly in his right hand and looking as if he could almost spit fire.

"Have you come to give me a warning as well?" He asked darkly.

She pushed up on her tiptoes and nipped at his earlobes. He immediately recoiled, pulling away from her in complete disgust. 

"Because there's no need! I've already been thoroughly warned by Poe to act as if I don't know him and to stay away from his little girlfriend over there, too."

Ben glared down at her, angling his head to the side, his eyes suddenly hard. "Oh, have you?! Then why the fuck did it just appear as though you were going to say something to her just now, Mara?"

"Can a girl not get a drink from the damn bar, Ben?" She asked, affecting a very venomous like sneer.

"Then go to one of the other bars, Mara." He leaned down to her ear, lowering his voice to an icy-cold whisper. "You're a fucking snake! Don't think that I can't see right through you and all you're little tricks. You stay the fuck away from her. Do you understand me?"

She tossed her crimson-red hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms as she looked away from him. She hated being told what to do---even from one sexy beast like Benjamin Organa-Solo. Usually, it never ended well for individuals that did. She played by her own rules.

"Mara, look me in the eyes and tell me if you see a man who's easily deterred from ripping your whole world to shreds."

She drew up her brow, her blue eyes wide. "And what the fuck is that supposed to mean, Ben?"

"It means that First Order Holdings holds more than seventy-five percent of your father's company's stocks. And I can sell off every single one of them tomorrow with one quick phone call---and you know I can _fucking_ do it." He leaned in closer, and she took a step back---frightened. "Wall Street will have a field day, and by tomorrow night, and your family will be scrounging for scraps in the alleys of Harlem."

She sucked in an indignant breath. "You wouldn't fucking dare, Solo!" 

"Fucking try me." He said turning away and ran smack into Tim Matika. 

"Whoa there little man, you look furious!"

Ben glanced over to where Rey remained seated at the bar, waiting for him to return. 

"No, I'm fine--what's up?"

"Your mom needs you in the kitchen for a minute." He said, raking his hands through his brown hair. "I don't know---something about someone who isn't on the authorized list down by the gates truing to get onto the property." 

Rey nodded over in Ben's direction when she caught his gaze from across the pond. He held up a finger to her as though letting her know that he would be right back. She watched him quickly vanish through the crowd, making his way into the house.

She recognized the woman he was speaking with from their bar a few days ago. She wondered why he'd invited his ex to the party and why she'd even show up. They obviously still an ongoing issues apparently. 

As Rey ordered another drink, a tall muscular man around her age suddenly approached, the smell of booze seeping clear out of his pores. Soothing a piece of his brown hair away from his forehead, he gave her a crooked lopsided smile.

"Pretty cool party, right?"

Rey glanced at him as she accepted her beer from the bartender. "Yes, it is."

"So, are you here with anyone, or am I just the fucking luckiest guy at this party to have stumbled upon a hot-looking single girl?"

_Well, that's a killer pick-up line asshole. Did you come up with that one on your own?_ Rey thought. 

"Sorry, but I'm here with someone." She answered.

He then let out a superior huff. "Who? I practically know everyone here. I may just have to give him one of my many impressive beat downs.

_Oh, boy this is just getting better by the minute._ "Poe Dameron."

The man suddenly furrowed his brows at this reply, pausing to hold his shot of whiskey aloft in his hands. "No, you're not with Poe Dameron. He's still with Mara Jade or at least I thought he was." 

_Okay, now have my immediate attention, jerkoff! _

"Who's Mara Jade? Do you even know Benjamin Solo?" Rey quickly nodded. "She's the piece of red prime meat he was just talking to by the pool."

_This moron is definitely drunk off his fucking ass right now!_

"No, you must be confused. The woman Ben was just speaking with was his ex-girlfriend--not Poe's."

The man adamantly shook his head at her. "Ben's never dated Mara. We all grew up together and let me tell you he can't fucking stand that bitch. I've spent many Fourth of July parties at this house. He then pointed across the yard to the guesthouse next to the large swimming pool. "And let tell you, I've witnessed Poe and Mara stumble out of that very guesthouse many mornings after, barely dressed. They've definitely fucked."

As she stood up, dazed and confused by what he had just revealed to her, Rey tried to swallow. Her throat felt as if a razor-sharp blade were sliding into her esophagus at that precise moment. 

"Hey, so you wanna give me your number or what?"

"Excuse me."

Without giving him backwards glance, Rey pushed through the crowd. Their screeching voices, laughter, and jovial faces were a distant blur, a complete fuzz in her mind. A thing sheen of sweat beaded over her flesh as panic immediate began to settle in.

She made her way toward the beckoning glow of the house. Walking past the kitchen, she spotted Ben talking with his mother, Leia.

He looked over in her direction as he watched her storm through the living room. When Rey rounded the corner to the hall, the air whooshed from her lungs and her heart imploded upon seeing Poe with Mara.

The organ suffered another devastating blow when she saw Mara snake her arms around Poe's neck, drawing him into her, and then it happened---the kiss. Unable to fully comprehend what was going on before her,

Rey cupped her hand over mouth as the tears swelled in her eyes. Incapable of witnessing their exchange any further, she spun around and collided right into Ben's broad chest. He caught her by the arms, flicking her eyes down t her face and then over her shoulder. They narrowed on Poe and Mara.

"I...I have to leave." Rey breathed, her voice bleeding with pain. "Please! Call me a cab!"

She rushed to the front of the house and out of the front door to the lawn. Digging into his pocket for his keys, Ben followed closely behind her. When he emerged, he found her trying to catch her breath, sitting on the stoop with her head cradled between her legs.

He walked over and knelt down beside her. Placing his hand under chin, he brought her face up to meet his. Her mascara had stained her eyes and face, but nevertheless she still looked beautiful to him.

"Let me take you." He whispered. 

She immediately shook her head vehemently as she wiped the flowing tears from her eyes. "No, your....your party. You can't just leave your guests unattended like this. Please, just call me a cab or have your driver take me back."

With his hand still under her chin, he gazed into her eyes. He wasn't going anywhere, and she would just have to deal with that concept.

"Unfortunately, my driver isn't here right now, and I'm not sending you back into the city in a cab. Plus, I'm not worried about the party, please, Rey, just let me take you back home."

Without saying another word, Rey swallowed, stood up, and walked towards his driveway. He directed her to his Audi and opened the passenger's door for her. She settled into the seat, and watched as he made his way around the car, her nerves still reeling from all that had just happened.

The two-and-a-half hour drive back to Manhattan was quiet without question.

As the sky melted into hues of orange, purple and pink with the setting sun. Ben searched his mind for something to say to her, knowing that he'd played a key role in Rey believing that Mara was his girlfriend. Her grief was so tangible it nearly nauseated him.

Glancing over at her, he knew that he had to explain. When he pulled into a parking spot in front of her building, he closed his eyes and for a beat took a deep breath.

"You should know---I'm sorry that I lied to you." He whispered.

Rey slowly pulled her gaze from the passenger window and gaped at him. "You think that I'm mad at_ you?_" Her tone was as low as his for a change, but the shock of his apology hung in her voice. 

"How can you not be?! I lied to cover for him. Although, I didn't know that he was still...." He drew in a deep breath and paused. But Rey already knew what he didn't want to say. "I knew who she was; that's why I pulled her outside. I didn't want her to....to hurt you, Rey. I'm so, so sorry."

She stared unto his unblinking copper eyes as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You honestly don't know me from a hole in the wall, Benjamin Solo. It wasn't your responsibility to tell me the truth about all of this; it was his. So please, don't feel the need to apologize for his mistakes."

Climbing out of the car, Rey stopped as her gaze slipped up to the blood red and vibrant blue colors exploding like shooting stars in the night sky. Pedestrians on the sidewalks hooted out, clapping at the display of fireworks going off through out the city.

Ben shut off the engine, flipped on his hazard lights, and followed her over to the entrance of the building.

She abruptly came to a halt, toissing her hands through her hair and cried out again. "Fuck, I don't even have my keys! My purse and my bags are still at your house!"

Noticing Rey's distress, the door attendant walked over to with concern. Ben quickly explained the whole situation and within ten minutes, management--knowing that she was a resident and shared a room with Rose Tico, gave her new set of keys.

Wanting to make sure she got in okay, Ben, walked her to door. He watched her hands tremble, trying to slide into the lock.

He placed a hand on hers in an effort to calm her down. He took he key from her hands and unlocked the door. Standing in the threshold, he watched her nervously pace back and forth across her apartment. When Rey walked back over to him, Ben moved towards her.

The loud snap of the of the door closing echoed throughout the apartment.

"Thank you so much for bringing me home, Ben." She said, her voice soft.

Staring at her, his voice was suddenly filled with concern. "Are you sure you're going to be all right here by yourself?" 

Rey averted her glassy gaze to the floor. Ben dipped his head, forcing her to look at him. His brown eyes flicked down to her lips, and Rey could see the thoughts moving behind them. She knew---God, she knew.

As her breath hitched in her throat, her heart rate kicked up, fluttering to soaring heights, he tenderly cupped her cheek. She gently placed her hand over his, leaning into it and soaking in it's warmth.

"Rey." He whispered, now laying his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, she was gazing into them. Their quickened breaths mingled, heated, warm and so close now. The energy flowing soundlessly around them was suffocating. He moved closer, his arm coming around the small of her back, pulling her into the intense heat his body.

Ben leaned down to kiss her---his own heart slamming in his chest---but neither his body nor his mind allowed another minute to pass without fulfilling his needs. Rey parted her lips to protest, but it was a moan that filtered through as his mouth covered hers, his tongue beginning it's gentle onslaught against her plump cherry lips.

Her mouth moved beneath his, drawing in his delicious taste. She felt herself sinking into the pleasure of the kiss as his touch destroyed her resolve and shattered her last bit of self-control. Despite the confusion weaving through her mind, her body was making the decision for her. No. Questions. Asked.

As Ben kissed her, he tasted her cherry sweetness of her lips, and he drank it in as if was the finest of red wines. Her hands moved up his arms to the back of his neck, leaving a trail of fire against his skin. A thick shiver of pleasure rebounded around him, racing through his blood from her fingers twining in his thick hair.

A groan rumbled in his throat at the feel of her soft breasts against his chest. The scent of her skin and the feel of her curved body fitting perfectly in his arms. Rey grabbed handfuls of his shirt as she walked her backwards, pressed her against the wall, and swept his tongue through her mouth.

Ben kissed her as if he'd done it a thousand times before, as if she belonged to him and him alone. He kissed her the way he had imagined he would from the first moment he saw her---from the moment he knew that he needed her.

"You're so fucking beautiful." He groaned. His lips moved over her jaw as his hands soothed down her waist; gripping and pulling and tugging at her. "I want you more than I've wanted anything in before in my fucking life, Rey Johnson!"

Rey nearly melted at his words. Her body pressed against his, straining for more, wanting more. Her head fell back as his mouth slid to her neck, tracing the slope of her collarbone and pressing kisses against her tender flesh. When he slipped his hand under the hem of her dress and caressed her hip, Rey's heart nearly stopped.

Goose bumps popped over her arms as she wrapped her leg around his waist, his hand cradling the back of her head and the other holding tight to her thigh. Waves of heat cascaded over trembling body. Each touch was a destructive whisper against her skin.

The languid sweeping of his tongue trailed back to her mouth. Sucking her lower lip, he swallowed her moans of pleasure as he held her closer. Her senses blanketed in Ben's smell, touch, taste and glorious groans.

Ben Solo.....Poe's best friends, someone he had known and become exceptionally close with. If Poe found out---despite his wrongdoing's, he would surely loose it if he found out about, well, this. Suddenly, Rey was off balance, uncertain of what she was doing.

Shimmering images of Poe and their life together invaded her mind. This was bad, like really bad, and she knew it. Two wrongs never computed to a right in her head---ever. A wave of immense guilt mixed with anger at Poe and herself washed over her.

Although her body fought against it---and fought against it hard--she had to stop.

"We....I can't.....I can't do this, Ben." She finally breathed, barely forcing the words past her lips.

Pulling back, his amber eyes dark and wavering with lust, Ben searched her face. Her lips were swollen from their kiss, and breathing was as ragged as his. Tears suddenly filled her eyes, yet he saw passion in them as well. His heart broke a thousand times over from the look on her face.

He didn't want to hurt her---God, that was the last thing he wanted to do. He nodded slowly as his fingertips slid over her flushed cheeks before his hands dropped to his sides, taking her warmth with them.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"No, Rey, I---"

"Please, Ben, just---just leave. I really need you to leave right now, please." She sniffled, unable to look at his face.

The air prickled uneasily between them for a long moment. Ben desperately tried to get his tongue unglued from the roof of his mouth to say something---anything--that would fix the situation, but he knew he couldn't.

The words--the right words---didn't exist in his mind. And this he knew. Running a nervous hand through his hair, he turned away, reached for the door, and reluctantly made his way out.

**********

Rey trembled as she hunched over in attempt to catch her breath. She closed her eyes, desperately trying to block out the guilt, push it away, and purge it through her system. Her complexion was drained of all color. Her stomach curled around itself in disgust---not only from what she had just done, but also because, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it felt fight.

God, it felt so right kissing him, touching him, and letting him touch her. She buried her face in her hands and cried as fresh waves of guilt crashed through every limb of her body.

Feeling mentally drained, she collapsed onto the couch, truing to regain her composure as she wiped tears from her face. A part of her felt as though it was dying as vivid pictures of Poe kissing Mara skirted through her head.

Staring at the ceiling, Rey wondered if somehow she had deluded herself into thinking that Poe wasn't cheating on her. Her instincts had been warning her for the past several weeks, but she'd refused to listen to the sirens going off inside her head.

A sudden sharp knock at the door roused her from the nightmare she had hoped she was awakening from. Before she could answer, the door swung open. Poe stood in the hall with her bags. Swallowing down the rising bile in her throat, she felt the pulse in her stomach when she shot up from the couch.

Closing the door behind him, his eyes met and locked with hers from across the room.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" She asked, glaring at him. "I want you to leave right now! Get the fuck out of this apartment right now, Poe! I said GO!"

"You have to let me explain!"

"Let you explain?! Seriously, what is there to explain here, Poe?! You kissed her!" She scoffed.

"She kiss me!" He corrected her.

"That is such bullshit! I want you to get the fuck out of here right now!" She said, pointing towards the door. "GET OUT!"

"You're going to let me explain." He said walking across the room, bridging the distance between them. "You are going to hear my side of the fucking story, Rey!"

"You kissed her." She cried, stabbing her finger into his chest. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

He grabbed a hold of her wrist and moved closer towards her and jerked her over towards him. "What you saw tonight was her leaning in to kiss me. You didn't see me push her away, Rey, because you ran off!" 

"And I'm supposed to just believe that? I'm supposed to just believe you!" She nearly screamed. "You lied to me about her being Ben's girlfriend!" 

She made a beeline toward the kitchen, but he grabbed a hold of her shoulders and forced her to turn around and face him. As usual, he was going to have the last say in all of this. 

"I didn't tell you about her that night because I didn't want you feeling uncomfortable while was there!" She immediately jerked her hand back and gaped up at him. As far as she was concerned, she had heard quite a enough bullshit for one night. "I'm not fucking kidding me, Rey. I didn't want you to know she was someone I used to date. I knew if you found out, then of course you'd want to leave. I just figured that it was no big deal."

She moved back from him, almost stumbling. She didn't know the difference between the truth and a lie anymore when it came to him. It was all becoming way too much for her--for them as a couple.

"Babe, I'm not lying." He continued. "She's like fucking obsessed with me! You really think I would do that with her out in the open, knowing you were there at that party?!"

Rey just continued to glare at him, her mouth hanging wide open. He raked his fingers through his curly hair, of course she didn't believe him. She had every fucking reason not to---after all she had seen. 

"I didn't mean it like that! I was coming out of the bathroom, and she asked if she could talk to me for just a minute. I agreed, and before I fucking knew it, she'd pulled me into her and kissed me. God, I pushed her away. You mustn't turned around before I did."

Shaking her head, Rey's hand rushed to her mouth as she cried. Hurt ricocheted through her heart--the pain literally slammed through her body.

Could she have made an assumption too soon from the few seconds of their kisses that she saw? She had never felt so confused in all her life. 

"I even warned her when she got to the party to stay away from me and you." He whispered, cautiously stepping closer and bringing his hand up to caress her cheek. Continuing to cry, she averted her gaze to the floor, not knowing what to do or what to say. "I really just gave Ben hell for bringing you back here without my permission."

Rey's head snapped up. "You...saw him leaving?"

"Yes, I saw him leaving." He replied, burying his face into the crook of her neck. "You really shouldn't have left with him, Rey."

She immediately pulled back again, her hazel eyes wide. "You don't think you would've left too if you had seen me doing the exact same thing, Poe?"

"I'm not exactly sure." He paused, nibbling his bottom lip as of deliberating on what to say to her. "I just know that I don't like that he just brought you home without literally telling me that you actually left with him."

Her features morphed at the shock of the words. "You're mad at me for leaving, Poe? Seriously?!"

"Jesus, baby, I'm not mad at you." He said taking a step closer and brushed his hand across her neck. "I just want you to believe me. She means nothing to me, I swear. I pulled away, Rey. I swear that I did. You just didn't see it."

Do I dare give in? Do I dare believe him this time---is he lying? Is he being truthful? Who can honestly tell anymore?

He gently moved his mouth over her lips, his voice pleading as he began kissing her gently. "I love you, Rey, more than anything in this world. I would never ever hurt you, babe. Please, you have to believe me. I fucking love you!"

He tilted her head back, angled her body to his, and slid his mouth down her neck. Did she seriously think sex was going to fix all of this?!

"Poe, please." She moaned, grabbing onto the front of his shirt. "God, please, Poe, don't lie to me."

"Baby, I'm not lying." He trailed his hands under her dress and slipped it clean over her head. "I fucking love you, Rey! You're my whole fucking world. I love you!" 

As her own indiscretion with Ben tore through her as she looked into Poe's eyes. Oxygen seemed to evaporate from her lungs. Guilt thrust like an ice-covered spear through her heart. 

"I need you to tell me that you believe me." He breathed heavily, slowly kneeling as he swirled his tongue in hypnotizing circles down her stomach. He slid her panties her thighs. "Tell me you believe me, baby."

She had never felt so torn over what she wanted to believe and what she had done with Ben earlier before. Kissing Ben felt like a breath of fresh air, a cleansing if you will---freedom of all doubt.

With Poe, she felt like she had been squeezed back into a tiny cage, but yet he was her anchor.

"Yes, I believe you." She then cried out. "I'm so sorry, Poe. I'm so sorry!"

Before she knew it, he'd ripped the panties from her body, picked her up off the ground and carried her to her bed. Her spread her legs and held her in place as his tongue laved against her pleasurable spot. Her body writhed against his mouth while he gripped a firm hold of her hips, sucking, licking and tasting her essence.

Her muscles convulsed with both ecstasy and guilt as his fingers slid in and out of her hot wading warmth. Needing to be rid of herself of shame she felt and wanting him inside her at that very moment, she strained up and worked at the belt buckle of his shorts.

"Poe, I want you now." She moaned, sliding up against the pillows. 

He shed the rest of his clothes, climbed onto the bed, and sank deep inside her. She immediately gripped his caging biceps, throwing her head back at the sensation of him pulsing onto her hot flesh. He slammed his mouth over hers and stifled moans as she closed her eyes.

And then it happened. Visions of Ben kissing herm the feel of her velvet tongue, and the warm touch of his fingertips all over her body--her every thought was consumed of him. Poe was on top of her, but all she could feel, smell and taste was Ben.

Rey immediately stopped moving; her entire froze.

"What's wrong?" He breathed into her ear, continuing to move about her.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick!" She then slid out from beneath him and rushed to the bathroom.

He sighed and flipped onto his back, annoyed. "What the actual fuck, Rey?" 

Shutting the door to the bathroom, she fell to her knees on front of the toilet as hot tears welled eyes and nausea threatened to spill over. Placing her elbow on the seat, she buried her hands in her hair, trying to catch her breath. She sat there for a few seconds, a few minutes, maybe a few hours.

She didn't know how to much time had passed when she finally stood up.

She walked over to mirror and stared at her reflection. After throwing some water on her face, she made her way over out into the room here Poe had already fallen asleep. Quietly getting into bed, she curled the blankets over her body, hoping to find sleep and praying wasn't heading into something she honestly couldn't control.


	8. Chapter 8

"Rey, you never brought those files!"

Without saying a word, Rey stared blankly at her coworker. Her scattered thoughts obviously not where they should have been. The woman immediately glared over in Rey's direction.

"Hello? Earth to Rey Johnson? I said you never brought me those files I needed."

"I'm...I'm so sorry!" Rey stammered. "I'll be right back!" 

Rushing back to her office, Rey began rummaging her desk for the files that Kaydel had asked for. Once she managed to find them and get them somewhat in order, she made her back towards Kaydel's office, apologized yet again and let her know that she was finishing up account reports of that client over at Resistance Alliance.

Sighing with relief, Rey sat at down at the table in the coffee lounge. She needed a moment to compose herself and gather her thoughts---just a moment, please! Rey thought as she sank into the empty chair.

"Miss Johnson?" Mrs. Holdo said. "What's happened? Kaydel just said you forgot several files this morning?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Holdo."

"Are you sure? You do seem a little out of it today." He asked, placing a caring hand on her shoulder. 

"I just have a lot going on right now, is all. I'm sorry, it won't happen again, Mrs. Holdo."

"Look, if you're not feeling all that great, I can let you take off early." She replied. Concerned filled her face.

"Thank, but I'm all right--I promise."

She nodded and headed back down the hallway towards her office. Rey trudged through work over the next few hours. The evening passed in a blur as she found herself still trying to grasp everything that had happened. By the time her shift was over, she felt both physically and mentally drained.

Peering into her purse to search for her wallet, Rey opened the door to leave and rank smack into what she like a solid brick wall. An audible "oof" brought through her lips. She snapped her head up to apologize, and her hazel eyes locked onto beautiful copper-amber ones.

It was Ben.

"Jesus, are you all right?" Ben asked, reaching out to steady her. 

Rey struggled not to gasp at the subtle contact of his warm, strong fingers wrapped around her arms. Her senses were momentarily rewarded by the fresh smell of his cologne wafting through the evening air. A flush crept over her cheeks from the spike in temperature, making her feel as if she might burst into flames.

As Ben looked down at her, he held her gaze---a dangerous thing to do because a girl could seriously lose herself in those eyes of his, especially after what had happened between them. The kiss had been devastating, painful, euphoric, and everything else she had imagined it would be---all wrapped in one.

Damn that kiss.

She wondered if she could ever pull herself to the surface to breathe again. Her heart fluttered frantically, like a butterfly trying to escape the cage of her chest. With him standing right in front of her, it bared all sorts of things that she didn't want to think about.

"Yes, I'm all right." She answered breathlessly, still in shock.

The both seemed to be in a trance, their stares never wavering from each other. Ben slowly released his grip on her arms, cleared this throat and backed out onto the sidewalk. His heart clenched at the very sight of her.

Looking into her eyes, he couldn't believe that only a week had gone by since he'd seen her beautiful face, kissed her soft lips, and touched her warm skin. It felt like it had been an eternity. He hated that his subconscious had chosen that night, knowing how vulnerable she had been, and he knew he needed to apologize for that.

"I uh...I stopped." He paused, trying to recollect this thoughts. "I uh...I was in the neighborhood and I stopped by hoping to catch you before you left. I wanted to know if I could talk to you for just a minute."

"What's there to talk about, Ben?" She asked him, trying to hide the nervousness curling up in her thoughts as she stepped out of the building. 

Her gaze immediately traveled away from his in an attempt to keep from lingering on how incredibly sexy he looked in his usual all-black tailored suit._ Fuck, that black makes him look so damn sexy!_

He wet his lips and stared at her for a moment. "I think it's quite apparent, don't you?"

Hesitantly, she looked at him, her voice low. “Yes, I agree it is. What did you have in mind?”

Pulling in a breath, he ran his hand across the back of his neck. He usually never got nervous around anyone, but with her—he could never tell which way she was going to go. It was both thrilling and exhausting. 

“Well, I was thinking we could go grab a drink or something. There’s a great coffee house just right around the corner.” 

A flicker of uncertainty touched her face at that moment. She really ought not to considering the alternative. If she went with him—there was a chance they could kiss again, but if she didn’t she’d be left wondering. 

“I don’t know, Ben. I’m not sure if that’s a great idea.” 

“I just need five minutes of your time, Kaydel...I mean, Rey.” He send a full-watted smile her way. 

“Ha-ha, very funny.” She said dryly as she hoisted her purse over her shoulder.

He grinned and held up both of his hands in mock surrender. “Just five minutes is all I ask?” 

She swallowed hard, wanting to refuse him, but her efforts were futile at this point. She honestly didn’t want to admit that she had sorely missed him in the week since their last heated encounter outside her apartment .

“Okay, but just five minutes and not a minute more.” 

“You have my word. Come on, it’s this way.” He said, beckoning her over to the corner of Forty-Fourth Street. 

Less than half a city block later, the two of them entered a quaint little coffee shop. The scent of freshly baked pastries infused in the air, making Rey slightly hungry.

A few customers sat on a comfortable red leather couch as others at chestnut-brown tables browsed the Web. Behind the counter, the fashionably bored barista took their order, and they retreated to a tiny table towards the back so they could have their privacy. 

With a smile, Ben held up his wrist and set his watch. “Okay, so my time begins...now.” 

Rey sheepishly looked down at her hands twisting her lap. Ben leaned back against his seat and crossed his arms, the smile he once was carrying immediately falling from his beautiful, youthful face.

“Rey, I’m so sorry for what did.” He whispered, his eyes suddenly intense. “I made an already awkward situation ten times worse, and I feel absolutely terrible about it.”

She looked deep into his eyes, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth. She didn’t want him to apologize for that—never wanted him to. She had wanted it just as much as he had if she recalled. 

“Ben, you don’t have to apologize. It was my wrongdoing—not yours okay?”

“No, Rey, it was my fault.” He said, emphasize each word. “It was wrong of me to take advantage of you like that. I leaned in to kiss you.” 

“It takes two to tango, Solo”

“Right, but still—-“

“I kissed you back.” 

A slow smile curled his lips, his brown eyes shimmering with delight at hearing her confess these words out loud to him. God, he wished he could do it again and again, and again. To feel her body pressed against his, her mouth on his, to own and claim her. 

“So, are you saying that you wanted to kiss me? Is that what you’re saying?” 

“Are you serious right now?!”

“Very.” He smirked sensually. 

“Ben.” 

“Rey.” Ben mocked, still holding his intense gaze. 

She sighed. Why was he suddenly making this whole thing ten times more awkward than what it really needed to be? Wasn’t it bad enough already that she had to live with this on her conscious? And here he was trying to be the flirt, as usual. 

“Well, what do you want me to say here, Ben?”

“I want hear you say it.” 

“You’ve lost your mind.” She scoffed. “And why do you need to hear me say it? Huh? What does it prove?”

Rubbing his chin, he quickly analyzed her face, and his expression suddenly turned very, very seriously. Somehow, if it was even remotely possible, make him appear then times hotter than he already was. Fuck me! Rey thought as she tried to maintain a blank composure.

He slowly leaned forward in his seat and muttered. “Because I need to know that I didn’t force myself upon you or force you into something that you clearly didn’t want.” 

“You didn’t force me, Ben. I can assure you”.

“Then say it, Rey.” 

A blush immediately rushed up from her neck to her cheeks. “You’re unreal, you know that?”

“Say it.” He dragged the words out. “I’m not leaving this table until you do.” 

“Fine.” She nervously looked around. Bringing her eyes back to his, she crossed her arms and pouted. “Fine, I wanted to kiss you, Ben. I wanted to kiss you so bad it was driving me crazy. There, are you happy now?”’

“No, because I still feel like an asshole for putting you in that position in the first place.” 

“Well, then I guess that means we’re even, because I still feel like shit about doing it.” 

She then stood up, grabbed her purse off from the table and turned to leave, but stopped herself in the process. Slowly she turned back around to face him again. 

“So what exactly was this y’all for again?” Rey asked. 

“I want us to establish a friendship.” He rose from his feet, hoping to stop her from walking away from him a second time. 

“And how exactly do we do that, Ben?” 

“You’ve admitted already brag you wanted to kiss me. It was more than obvious that I wanted to kiss you. Now we can put it behind us and be friends.”

“That simple, huh?” 

“That simple.” He replied with a smile, though he heard his lack determination behind his own words. “Now it back down and finish your cup of coffee and with your new friend—please?”

“Your a rather demanding friend, I see.” She quipped, grabbing a hold of her purse. “But, really, I should get going now. Poe’s at his apartment, waiting for me.” 

Ben then glanced down at his watch and tapped it with the ball of his finger. “You gave me five minutes. I still have two whole minutes left.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” She laughed. 

He sat back down, took a sip of his coffee and smiled. “What’s with all these questions, friend?”

“I say it again like I did back at your house” Rey replied as she settled back into her seat. “You’re truly a wise-ass.” 

“Completely certified. So tell me, how’ve you been?” 

Seriously? Rey was in no mood to discuss this with him, but so as not to be rude to her new friend, she went along with his little game. At least for now. 

“I’ve been better and I’ve also been worse.”

“Okay, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing you know?” 

“That you’re correct about.” 

“Very good.” He smiled. “So tell me a little something about yourself? Something I don’t already know.” 

"So what do you want to know about me?"

Anything. Everything. Why'd you take him back? Why'd you stop me? Why aren't you with me right now? Why? Why? Sliding his hands through his black hair, he simply shrugged his shoulders and asked. "What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"It's vanilla. What's yours?"

"I dig vanilla, too, but I'm really a chocolate type of guy." He answered, watching the way she nervously shifted in her seat.

A long awkward silence descended across the table---during which Ben gave her another one of those many intensely searching looks of his---Rey noticed he pressed his lips together as though to stop himself from asking her something he truly wanted to know.

"So, what's your favorite color?" He finally asked.

"Ben, can I ask you a question? If you mind, that is." 

"Anything you want." said Ben with a tiny nod.

"What exactly are we doing here" Rey asked, feeling lost and confused about whatever it was happening between the two of the at this exact moment.

"Well, now that you ask, we're playing twenty questions." He laughed.

"No, we're not. What do you really want to ask me, Ben?"

Drawing up a brow, he leaned back and propped his hands behind his neck. She had caught him on that one--_-damn it, she's good. Maybe, a little too good._

"Mm, you're definitely good at reading me." He watched her for a few more seconds, studying every beautiful curve of her face. "I've been told I'm hard to figure out by people who have known me far longer than you have."

"Well, If you want my honest opinion, I think you're pretty easy to read." And she did. Although, he kept certain aspects of his life guarded, he was an open book in her eyes. She took a sip of her coffee. "So shoot. What is it that you really want to know?"

He contemplated her a moment before asking hesitantly. "Are you happy with, Poe? Like really happy?"

She bit her lip nervously. "Why do you want to know that, Benjamin?"

"Hey, we're friends, aren't we? And friends ask each other questions. And besides, you're the one who asked me, don't forget that."

"You're right, I did." She said as she looked down at her hands and then back up to Ben once more. "But to answer your questions, yes, I'm very happy with him."

Placing his elbow down on the table, he pressed his chin against her palm. "Why? You don't seem very happy with him."

Her brows knitted together, well that was awfully brave of him to assume that she wasn't. I mean, so Poe made a few mistakes along the way but she had been willing to forgive him for those little mistakes. How dare he assumed she wasn't happy!

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Rey then asked.

"Well, give me the specifics." He said shrugging his board shoulders. "Why does he make you happy? How does he make you happy?"

She just stared at him, her eyes intense, but her phone going off in her purse broke off her focus. As she answered the call, Ben leaned back and watched her. He knew he might have just crossed the line asking such a personal question, but he couldn't fight his instincts. She wasn't happy---or at least she hadn't looked all that happy that night he brought her home.

He had spoken with Poe the night he left her apartment. He'd allowed Poe to think he believed his story, but he didn't---not even close. He knew his best friend all too well. The only question racing through Ben's mind was why Rey had fallen for it, time and time again.

Rey stood up and tucked her phone back into her purse and glanced nervously down at him. Something was clearly wrong. "T-That was Poe. I really have to go now, Ben."

Ben rose to his feet and brushed his hand down her arm. "I really hope that you're not upset about my question, Rey. My curiosity tends to get the better of me sometimes. I didn't mean anything by it, of course. If you're happy, then you're happy--who am I to judge."

She swallowed hard and shook her head. "I'm not mad at you, Ben. However, to answer the only question that really matters here is, yes. Poe makes me happy for many specific reasons. You'll just have take a rain check on me listing them, okay?"

He nodded as if that answer satisfied him, but it didn't. Nonetheless, he wouldn't push the issue any further....for now. He then dug into his pants pocket. 

"Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you."

Ben then reached for her hand. He held on to it just a little longer than he should have, but her skin felt so soft it was hard to let go of it. Finally, when he knew he had reached his gentlemanly limit, he slipped a bottle cap into her palm.

She looked down at and smiled. "So this is going to be an on-going this little between us friends---you giving me a bottle cap every single time that you see me?"

"That was honestly one of the best games of "Toss the Bottle Cap onto the Pot" that I've ever played." He admitted, his voice soft. "So, yes, it'll be our little thing, along with me constantly calling you Kaydel occasionally." 

She slowly smiled up at him. "Thank you, Ben."

As they made their way outside, and Ben hailed a taxi for her. He closed the door behind her after she got in and leaned in through the window just as she was rolling it down. He wasn't ready to sat goodbye to her just yet. In fact, he had rather been enjoying their little game of twenty-questions and was left wanting to know even more about her.

_There will be another time, Solo. There will be plenty of time for that. _

"She's going to Columbus and West Seventy-Fourth." said Ben, handing the driver money for the ride. "Here, take this, it should cover the fare and your trip." 

He then took a step back, banged on the roof of the cab, alerting the driver that he could leave. As the taxi pulled away, Ben told the man to stop. She quickly jumped out of the cab just as Ben was walking away. 

"Ben, wait! Ben!" She called wondering exactly what the hell she was doing.

Ben turned around with his hands in his pockets. He stared at her from her a few feet away. Could it really be happening? Was she going to finally choose him and possibly leave Poe....for good.

"I-I just wanted to say...thank you." She said, trying to catch a steady catch. "Not just for the cab fare---that was very sweet, of course, but also for....for talking with me about my parents and for stopping by to see me tonight. I know that both of those things were hard for you to talk about. It was hard for me as well, but---" She looked down to the ground and then back to him, willing herself not to sink into those eyes. "I don't know what to say here really, but I'm just rambling now. I have a tendency for that. But I just wanted to say thank you....thank you again, Ben."

Although he wanted to move towards her--God, he knew he did, he had to stomp himself from doing so. "You're most welcome." He stared for a few lingering seconds. "I'll see you around, pal?"

Rey nodded. "Yes, I'll see you around...pal."

Ben then watched her get back in the taxi. He watched until his eyes hurt. The yellow vehicle disappeared into her frenzied flow of traffic, turning into nothing but a tiny speckle of color. His tall, hard body was somehow at odds with his emotions. He wanted Rey. He ached for her, longed her.

It wasn't just lust. Because all he wanted to do was kiss her and feel her warm body pressed against his again. Every part of him longed to hold her and take care of her the way he knew she ought to be. Rey had stirred things within him back to life---things he had shoved away for longer than he had realized.

He wasn't sure just how she made him feel the way she did whenever she was around him, but he knew the whole situation just might consume him and set him ablaze, scattering his ashes from one end of the city to the next. 

So friends....they were friends and friends was what he would have to accept.

**********

"Hello there beautiful." Poe said the second Rey opened the door to her and Rose's apartment. He got up from the couch, walked over and pulled her into his welcoming arms. "I've missed you. What took you so long to get back?"

"We had a bit of a late evening rush." She replied, truing to successfully pull of the lie burning a whole through her gut. "Did you get the movie?"

"I did. Now go get in the shower, get realized and I'll get this set up for us." He scratched his chest and sauntered into the kitchen. "Oh, by the way there's a surprise in your bedroom."

Smiling, she cocked her head to one side. "What did you do?"

"Nothing, big." He tossed, a bag popcorn into the microwave. "I was just thinking about you today, is all."

After dropping her purse onto the table, she made way down the hall. In her room, she took in the sight of six dozen roses scattered throughout the space. Each dozen was in a beautiful crystal vase. He'd even scattered some petals across her queen-sized white duvet.

Although she was touched by the gesture, her overall smile was weak. The scent of them pleasantly assaulted her nose she tried not to fester in the guilt of just finishing her secret" coffee date" with Ben.

Once showered, she slipped back into the living room and lay down on the couch with Poe. His body curled possessively around hers as she absently traced patterns across his bare chest.

She looked into his dark eyes. "Thank you for the flowers. They're absolutely beautiful."

"Well, I'm glad you like them." He kissed the top of her dampened hair. "Like I said, I really thought of you all day."

"You're too sweet." She nuzzled her nose against his neck. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got a call back today from one of those firms I submitted my resume to."

"Did you? That's totally awesome, babe. Where is it?"

"It's over in Brooklyn." Rey answered softly leaning back against him. "Bush something. I'll have to look at what I wrote down. I have an interview there on Monday."

"Don't you mean Bushwick?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, that's the name!" She smiled, reaching for some popcorn on the end table.

"Rey, you can't take a job there." said Poe suddenly, which caused her shook him a baffled look. "It's not safe."

"Poe, I'll be just fine." Rey groaned, rolling her eyes. "I've worked really hard for this and it finally feels like things are starting really pay off---don't get wrong, I love working for Mrs. Holdo but this is my dream---"

"No, Rey, I'm telling you right now---you're not taking the job out there. Send out some more resumes and wait for something else." He replied with finality.

"Are you being for real right now, Poe?" Rey asked.

"Babe, I'm just looking out for you is all. It's not a good neighborhood." He answered, pressing his mouth against her forehead. "You'll wait for something else to come along. Besides, we've already been over this--if you really need money that bad, I'll give it to you."

"It's not that at all, Poe. I've waited long enough and I want something lined u for this coming year."

Before he could say anything further, the door swung open. Rose walked in with her purse swinging cheerfully from her arm. At the sight of Rey and Poe sitting on the couch, she rolled her eyes and made a slight gagging sound._ Lovely, just how I wanted to spend my evening--with dirt bag around!_

"Rosie, tell my girlfriend how bad the Bushwick area is."

Rey waited for Rose to respond, but sadly it never came. She ignored Poe, kicked off her heels and sat on one of the plush recliners next to them. 

"Hey friend, how was your day?"

"Uh, my day was pretty good." Rey answered, unable to keep the slight laughter out of her voice. "But can you please answer Poe's question? I'm really interested in hearing about how this badass neighborhood?

Still not answering, Rose looked away as she began studying the chipped pink nail polish on her nails. Okay, this was getting pretty awkward and fast. Why wouldn't she just answer the damn question? The tension is mounting here, people! Rose's black eyes narrowed like a snake on Poe in that moment.

"I'm so sorry, Rey, but I don't talk to assholes who jockey off their sperm, sowing their wild oats with any slut who'll give them a fucking blow job behind my best friend's back." She hissed, the words rolling off her tongue like a melted piece of ice.

Rey nearly choked swallowing down a piece of popcorn. She felt Poe's body instantly go rigid against hers right before he rose up from the couch. He shot Rose a searing look bit his voice remained eerily calm. 

"Fuck off, you stupid racist freak!"

Rose plastered a smile over her gritted teeth at these words. "Oh, that was seriously original there, Dameron. Come up with that one on your own, did you?" 

She sounded undaunted by his insult as she clapped slowly in front of him. Clearly, she had been waiting for this---and imagined it sounded so much better inside her head than in reality.

"Oh my God, Poe, how could you say something like that?!" Rey looked up at him in shock.

"Fuck her!" He said as he casually walked into the kitchen and reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of beer. 

"No, honestly, fuck you, Dickhead!" Rose spewed. "You come into my apartment, yes, my apartment thinking you own the goddamn place---and look you're even drinking my fucking beer you ass-wipe!"

"Holy shot, would you two just stop it already?!" Rey shouted, as she moved to step in between them.

"I'll stop when you see the fake overcoat charm he wears in front of you all the fucking time, Rey! He's fucking other women---maybe a whole fucking army of them behind your damn back and you're just oblivious to it!" 

Oh my God, this seriously cannot be happening right now! Rey thought as she clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes darting back and forth between the man she loved and her best friend. A fight was surely going to break out any second!

"But for now, the fucker is in my fucking house, so he can take it or he get can get the fuck out!" Rose said, wagging a finger in Poe's direction. "It's his choice!"

Poe plucked his shirt from the couch, tossed it over his head, and then dug into his back pocket for his keys. _No, no, no, no, don't leave, Poe!_

"Poe, wait! Where are you going?!" Rey crossed the room to go after him.

"Fuck that stupid bitch! Fuck that cunt! I'll call you later." He then threw open the door and slammed it closed with a thundering force.

Rey stayed rooted to the spot in his wake. Her head fogged up as she tried to process everything that had just happened. She then spun around and glared over at Rose. Hot tears sprung to her eyes as she moved across the room towards her bedroom.

"You promised that you wouldn't say anything, Rose! So thanks a lot for that!"

"Well, you know something, Rey? I couldn't help myself when I saw you cozying up to him like he had done nothing wrong!" said Rose harshly. 

Rey opened her mouth to argue, but Rose quickly cut her off again. No, sister, this is my turn to talk and you are going to fucking listen to whatever I have to say whether you fucking like it or not!

"And not nothing friend! If you didn't think it was true somewhere in the damn brain of yours, which I know you have, and can't understand why you're not fucking using it, then you wouldn't have gone and kissed Ben!" She snarled, her words cutting straight through Rey's heart.

Rey inhaled, truing to quell up the sudden urge to punch her square in the face.

"You're truly fucked up, you know that, Rose?!" She said in a surprisingly calm tone--one that even threw Rose completely off guard. "How could you say something like that to me. knowing what I've been through all fucking week?!"

"Look, I-I didn't mean it that way." Rose replied, cautiously moving toward her best friend. "I just---I just really think that you're in denial here, Rey. I think that you're in denial about the way Poe keeps treating you, and I also think you're seriously in denial that you feel something--even the littlest bit of something for Ben. I mean, have you not seen the way he looks at you? The way he talks to you---"

A wounded cry escaped from her throat. "I'm not in denial, Rose! I love Poe, and I believe him. Why is that so damn hard for you to understand?!"

Rey then walked to her bedroom, stopping just at her door and turning back to look at her best friend; her hand rest upon the doorknob. She had to get it off her chest, she had to make Rose understand that yes, she had seen Poe and Mara kiss, but she had left before she get the full story of what actually happened.

"I didn't see the whole kiss. I saw exactly what Poe said that I did. That red-haired skank pulled him into her, and I turned around before he could back away. I didn't see the whole thing. I was mad, upset, hurt and betrayed in that moment. That was the only reason why I kissed Ben. I let my emotions get the better of me when he drove me back. That's all---nothing more."

An uncomfortable silence then descended throughout the apartment before Rey retreated into her room, sinking onto her bed. She had never felt so mentally bruised by the stinging of Rose's words. Pinching the bridge of her nose from the sudden headache pulsing through her skull, she tried to put her feelings in check.

She couldn't lose her best friend, and she refused to lose Poe either. Most importantly, she hated using the phrase "caught between a rock and a hard spot", but that was exactly how she felt right now. Two of the people she cared about the most literally despised each other.

Rey's mind whirled as the pain of the whole situation crushed her.

Twenty minutes later, with subdued knock, Rose peeked her head in. "Can I come in?"

Rey nodded. Rose sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her best friend tightly, hoping it would be enough for Rey to somehow forgive her. She still didn't like Poe, but she was not about to lose her best friend over her own thoughts and feelings of him. 

"I'm sorry, Rey. I shouldn't have said what I did." Rose apologized, tucking her long black hair behind her ears, her eyes glassy. "You've been through so much here lately and I just want you to be happy is all." 

"But I am happy, Rose. Please, just trust me when I say that. I can't have you act like that around him. You two will give me a nervous breakdown, for sure." 

A long pause of oblivious deliberation occurred between the young girls and finally Rose relented. "Okay--but only for you because I love you to absolute fucking pieces---I won't say another thing to him. But just FYI, you do know how fucking hard that is going to be for me, right?" 

"I do." Rey smiled. "And that's why I love you to absolute fucking death."

They leaned in once more and hugged each other tightly. Rose Tico, she could be a right pain in the ass sometimes but Rey Johnson couldn't have asked for a better person to be her best friend, her rock. She needed Rose more than she could possibly know. 

"And just for the record, I am going to make him apologize to you for what he said. It was wrong and he knows that."

Rose then let out a huffed laugh. "I don't need his apology nor do I want it, Rey. He was wrong, I'm not a racist. I'm a certified lover! I love Finn and I love his big---"

"Okay, I think we got that much." Rey said with a laugh, seeing where Rose was about to take this conversation. "We know you love everything about Finn, trust me."

Rose stood up and walked to the door, but paused looking back at Rey. "I cringe so much when I say this--God, I fucking cringe---but Dickhead Poe--I'm not giving up his nickname by the way---is right about one thing, though. Most of Bushwick isn't a good neighborhood. Something else will come along, something better. Hang on---you'll see."

A faint smile played across Rey's lips. "Thank you, I'll take both of your advice and just wait it out, I guess."

Rose then blew Rey a kiss and walked out of the room. After calling Poe back and vehemently insisting he apologize to Rose, Rey attempted to go to sleep. She tossed and turned in bed as her mind strayed back to Ben.

She tried to fight her emotions, reminding herself that she still loved Poe, but Ben was embedded into her thoughts like a sneaky little parasite.

His magnetic presence alone thickened the air as she breathed whenever he was near her. His idea of inaugurating a friendship between them seemed nearly impossible the more she now thought about it. There were too many dangerous variables floating around the concept.

She felt swallowed by her own confusion.

As she consciousness slowly drifted toward sleep, her mind tried to fight a bloody battle against what her body already knew. She wanted him, and she wanted him badly. Throw guilt to the wind, it screamed. For the moment at least, her mind won the war over body's assault, deciding not to risk the possible destruction of her life.

_But damn him and damn that insanely good kiss he had been able to give her. Damn him to hell!_

**********

Over the next few weeks, Rey fell into her usual routine at the restaurant with ease and was happy found himself in a more normal schedule. He didn't get in as late in the evenings, and remained civil whenever he visited Rose's apartment.

For Rey, things finally seemed to be calming down. Poe had pulled a few strings with a new client of his who held a position high up in the New York company business over in Greenwich Village.

She was beyond excited that in less than a month, she would finally be able to start her career and was happier that she'd surrounded by people who shared her interests. She had wanted a job like this for years, and now, thanks to her amazing boyfriend, things were finally falling into place. 

"Are you almost ready in there, babe?" Poe called out impatiently while waiting her on the couch.

"Just give me two more minutes, Poe!" She pinned up the last few strands of her hair with some bobby pins.

She studied her reflection and decided that even though the chestnut mess was uncooperative on that particular afternoon, it would have to do. She then threw on a green-and-brown boho summer dress with spaghetti straps, grabbed a pair of brown heels and slipped into the living room.

"Well, how do I look?" She asked Poe, turning around in a circle.

"You look delicious." Poe remarked with a smile as he moved over towards her. "Are you excited about this?"

"I am, but you really don't have to do this, Poe." She said snaking her arms around his neck, her heels dangling from her fingertips. "I have enough clothing to go around and to last me until I die."

"Yes, but you don't have anything from boutiques on Fifth Avenue." He said as he pulled her closer and breathed softly against her cheek. "And I'd really love to get you some more sexy lingerie. I feel like we've been lacking on that a bit."

"I bet you would." She replied, arching her brow.

He tilted her head back, feathering her soft kisses against her neck. 

"You have absolutely no idea."

Rose cleared her throat, interrupting them as she entered the room. Ugh, she'd love nothing more than to sow her head to the carpet, be stuck in five o'clock traffic, have a stomach bug, anything but seeing the two of them swapping spit.

"Where are you two lovebirds off to today?" She asked, rolling her eyes in a sarcastic manner.

With a smart-ass smile, Poe walked over to Rose, slinging his right arm over her shoulder. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite person in the entire world!"

"Ugh, get off of me you, Douche!" She spat, ducking her smaller frame out from underneath him. "Thanks, now I'll have to shower!"

Poe just rolled his eyes and turned away, not wishing to say what he was really thinking in front of Rey, lest he wanted his death-wish. Besides, he was on good-behavior, but that Rose Tico made it very difficult sometimes....very!

"Poe is taking me clothes shopping for a couple of hours." Rey quickly interjected. She curled her arms around Poe's stomach, and pulled him away as she slipped her feet into her high-heels. "So, what are you doing today?"

"I'm finishing up my painting and take it over to the gallery for the art show." She said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "You're still coming, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Do you want to come with me tomorrow to get our nails done?" Rose asked. "I so need to get a pedicure, too."

Poe slid his arm around Rey's waist, leading her towards the front door. They already behind his schedule, or at least they were in his mind. Not to mention he honestly didn't feel like spending another second listening to Rose's drowned out voice.

"I really hate to break up this female conversation, but I have places to take my beautiful girlfriend to, Rose." 

Rey kinked her neck back to look at Rose, whispering. "Yes, Rose, it's definitely a mani-pedi date. I'll see you later girlfriend!"

Rose just shook her head and watched the two of them walk out of the apartment and down the hallway towards the elevators. However, the second Rey it was safe enough she turned to look at Poe.

"You know, you really need to stop being such a jerk to her, Poe." Rey said, as they entered the elevator. "She's been super nice to you the past few weeks and you just keep---keep antagonizing her with your rude remarks." 

"I'm just kidding with her, Rey." He said, pushing the GROUNF LEVEL button on the panel. "She just needs to learn how to take a joke."

"I know, but please----for my sake, at least---just---just leave her alone, okay?" 

Grabbing a hold of her hand, he brought it up to his lips and kissed it tenderly. "All, all right, I'll leave you alone---but just because you asked."

"Thank you." 

"No problem. Do me a favor though. Once we get in the car, there's a file in the backseat. Can you grab it for me?"

"Okay."

Poe's sleek crimson-red BMW was sitting parked out front. He opened the front door for her while he walked around towards the driver's side, pausing briefly to allow a few taxi's to pass by until he clambered inside. Rey unbuckled her seat, and reached for the file.

After buckling up again, she glanced down a the brown envelope in his hands. Her heart skidded across her chest as she saw First Order Holdings on the top right corner. Although not easy by any means, she had somewhat managed to keep her "new friend", from her thoughts the past several weeks, and now out of nowhere, she was essentially holding him in her hands.

"Here." She attempted to hand the file over to Poe. 

"Just hang onto it for now. We're stopping by his penthouse before we go shopping. I have some papers I need him to sign before the weekend's over." Poe addressed, running his hand through his curly black hair. "He's been a right pain in my ass, I have to admit. The motherfucker's always adjusting his damn stocks." 

"Oh...well...I'll just...I'll just wait in the car while you go up to see him then." She tried to appear casual as she glanced out the window as Poe carefully pulled out into oncoming traffic.

"You're not going to wait in the car. One, it's going to take while because I have to go over a few things with him, and two, I want you to see what we will eventually be living in one day His place is totally off the hook!"

Rey sighed. Nevertheless, fifteen minutes later, she found herself stepping out of the car in front of the building that housed her wettest dream. The drive took less than twenty-minutes and after tossing his keys to the valet, Poe pointed to the top of the massive structure.

"You see that?"

She tilted her head, her eyes following the slender ribbon of blue sky all the way up the top of the building. She nodded.

"So that's where he lives, like a fucking king overlooking all of this." said Poe, spreading his arms, gesturing over the Lenox Hill area of the Upper East Side. "One day, we'll be living just like him."

He smile, placing his hand on the small of her back. With a tip of his hat, the door attendant greeted them, acknowledging Poe by his last name like an old friend. When they walked into the Italian Renaissance-style lobby. Rey noticed a few people milling around, swathed in some of the most expensive clothing and jewelry she had ever laid eyes on her.

Looking down at her summer dress from Walmart and heels from Payless, she felt more than a little out of her comfort zone. The elevator ride up to the seventy-fifth floor was torturous. When she heard the cheerful ding before the doors parted, she wanted to melt into the walls and camouflage herself into the grain of the wood.

The long walk down to the end of the hall had her feeling as if she were a bloody piece of meat suddenly cast out into a sea of awaiting sharks. One particular shark, that is.

As they approached the front door, Rey wiped her hand across her sweat-beaded forehead, her heart drumming against her chest erratically. Poe gave a quick knock, and after what felt like forever, it opened. Behind it stood a buxom blonde bombshell.

Other than her smile, she wore nothing but a hot-pink panties and a matching bra beneath one of Ben's crisp white button-down shirts. Unbuttoned, no less.

"Wow, you look great!" Poe beamed at the woman, but his smile quickly dropped when Rey shot him a hardened look of "what-the-fuck."

"Hey, Poe." the woman rasped, pulling him in for a hug. "Like, seriously, long time no see."

Crossing her arms, Rey shifted in her heels and plastered a smile across her face. Poe eyed Rey, cleared his throat and returned his attention to the woman. Yeah, this wasn't awkward or anything!

"It has been a really long time, Natasha. I'm assuming the big man's home? I never called to let him know that I was stopping by." 

"Yeah, he's out on the terrace with his laptop. Like, you know how he is, all work and no play." She laughed. "I just happened to becoming out of the bathroom when you knocked."

Poe nodded. "Yeah, I know how he is with his work---Snoke keeps that boy of ours, busy."

"So who's this?" Natasha asked, closing the door behind them.

"This is the future Mrs. Dameron." Poe smiled and curled his arm around Rey's waist. "Rey, this is Natasha Bradford. She's Ben's....friend?"

"I'm actually Ben's flavor of the month." She giggled. Rey's mouth hung slightly open at these words. "But that's totally okay with me. I get shiny things this!"

She giggled again as she playfully fingered a diamond necklace. Rey had to resist the urge to roll her eyes and say something incredibly rude at this girl standing before her--_-God, was this girl for real?! _

"Well, you're with a lucky little duck." Rey smiled, trying to will herself not to throw up.

"I am. I really, truly am." Natasha smiled as she cocked her to the side. "So, like, really, are you two engaged?! When is the wedding?!"

"So, like, we're really not." Rey quickly answered.

"Oh wait....I thought....." She then looked over at Poe, confused and then playfully smacked his on the arm. "You silly, man, you really had me thinking, like, you were actually engaged when you said she was the future, Mrs. Dameron!"

"Well, eventually, she will be." Poe smiled, looking at Rey.

She smiled back, praying that she didn't have to hear the word "like" again. God, could they just hurry up and get this over with, already? They were wasting daylight and Rey wanted to try on a couple of outfits, get lunch and be with her boyfriend---not standing here having a conversation with Ben's half-dressed mistress of the month.

_Ugh, if this is how he really is--I'd rather not have any further thoughts about him wanting to kiss me!_

"Okay, well, come on. I'll let him know that you two are here." Natasha laughed.

Rey let out a low sigh while Natasha walked away to retrieve Ben. 

"Babe, I have to go use the bathroom." Poe said, now turning to walk down a long, narrow hallway. "I'll be right back."

Rey nodded. At first glance, she noticed the décor was a stark contrast from the warmth of his parent's house in the Hamptons. Although extraordinary in its own way, it felt somewhat colder and impersonal. Marble floors, black leather couches, abstract stone sculptures, and colossal black-and-white photos with no hint of color anywhere.

Holding business superiority throughout, it was exactly the space Rey had envisioned he lived in when she first met him. It wasn't a home, it was simply what the city expected of him. Another one of Benjamin Solo's many layers came to her mind.

As Rey chided herself for analyzing his surroundings, Ben stepped into view, wearing a pair of black cotton pajama pants--of course---and shirtless. His very presence, alone warmed up the space almost immediately.

Rey watched breathlessly as he whispered into Natasha's ear. She giggled at whatever he said, kissed him on the cheek and whisked down the all into of the many rooms, closing the door behind her.

Ben's dark brown eyes roved over Rey as he tried to mask the excitement he felt bleeding from his pores at the very sight of her. He thought that the last time he went without seeing her was an eternity; this longer stretch felt as if it were his certified death sentence.

Feeling his body relax from her mere presence, he approached her with a smile.

"Sorry about that." He said as he ran his hand through his hair. "She has a distaste for clothing or something."

"But she has a love for the word like, so it all evens out, I guess."

"Mmm, I never noticed that before." He replied, scratching his stomach.

"Are you kidding me?" Rey questioned, trying to keep her attention on his face and away from the lingering thought of his broad, lean chest and beautiful glowing abdominal region.

He moved closer and whispered in her ear. "Of course, I'm kidding. It's actually annoying, but don't tell her that I told you that."

Between the close proximity and his warm breath against her skin, she thought she would pass out from inhaling his heavenly scent. "My lips are totally sealed."

In one swift motions, his gaze flicked down to her mouth and then back to her eyes again. "Do me a favor, will you, Rey? Try not to bring my attention to those pretty lips of yours."

Rey's mouth dropped and then snapped shut once more.

"Would you like something to drink?" He then asked causally, ducking his head to conceal his smile as he moved past her towards the bar-cart.

"Are you going to watch me drink whatever it is that you give to me? Because, I may be wrong about this, but I think I have to use my lips in order to do so, hot-shot."

He cocked a brow and smirked. "It would be my absolute pleasure, Miss Johnson."

"What could be your absolutely pleasure?" Poe asked as he returned from the bathroom.

Rey immediately backed away from Ben, almost stumbling slightly as she tried to catch herself from saying something she ought not to, but Ben saved her, yet again. He's amazing, he is!

"I was just telling Rey that it would be my absolute pleasure to give her a tour of my place." Ben replied, as calm, cool and collected as could be.

"Well, before you start giving out persona tours, let's get this shit done." Poe said as he handed him the towering stack of paperwork. "I need your John Hancock on every single one of these bad boys. I also want to talk with you about a few risks I feel you are taking by dropping CMEX."

Ben gazed into Rey's hazel eyes. "I'm all about taking risks, I think it makes life a little more....exciting. Wouldn't you agree, Rey?"

Rey knew exactly what he was referring to, and her heart tripled over into a somersault as she stared helplessly back at him. 

"Y-Yes, sure." said Rey nervously.

"I just don't think it's a very good idea for you to drop them, man." Poe replied, popping the top off a beer bottle. "CMEX is your security. You have so invested in hedge funds right now; it may not be a good move."

"You are the professional here." Ben said with a smile. "Let's take care of this in my office, shall we? By all means, Rey, make yourself at tome. Natasha, should be in a few minutes. I'm sure she'll keep you....like busy."

He winked at her and disappeared down the hall with Poe. Rey stood mute as a statue in the living room for a moment as she tried to catch her breath. She licked her lips slowly as the tingles Ben evoked from within her body worked their way up from her toes to the top of her head.

_So....fucking...dangerous. And I like it---damn, I like it!_

Sighing, she moved out to the terrace, hoping that the fresh air would soothe the chaos wreaking havoc in her mind. The penthouse was a corner unit, and the stunning wraparound views of Central Park and the East River immediately awed her.

The terrace alone was larger than her and Rose's living room and both bedrooms put together. She cautiously peered over the edge to watch the city below her. Her hair whipped in the wind as she breathed the hot, humid August air. Although she was afraid of heights, Rey was calmed by the stillness, the assurance of solitude, and the lack of people that high up.

The serenity, however, was short-lived when Natasha strolled out of the French doors, this time complete dressed.

"It's, like, totally and completely breathtaking out here, isn't it?" She asked, handing Rey a glass of water.

"Thank you." She said. "And yes it's truly beautiful up here."

She studied Natasha's strapless, skintight black tube dress. It fit beautiful, toned body and she could easily see why Ben had been do attracted to her---she was exceptionally beautiful, tan and perfect all alone. A twinge of jealousy erupted somewhere deep within her, a jealousy she couldn't quite place.

"California." She giggled.

"Really?" Rey mocked in shock. "I would have never guessed that."

Natasha kinked her head to the side, her long blond hair slowing in the wind. "Like, I know right? People tell me that all the time!"

"I bet they do."

The two women sat down on a push outdoor couch. Natasha tucked her feet underneath her legs. "So, like, how long have you been dating, Poe Dameron? Ben's told me a lot about him and is surprised that he would date anyone at all." 

"Three years and counting."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Natasha smiled. "And he's such a little cutie-pie too."

"Thanks, so how long have you and Ben, uh...." Not sure how to ask the question, Rey brought up the glass of water up to her lips and took a long sip. 

"Oh! Oh you mean as in, how long have we been fucking each other?" 

Rey immediately choked on her glass of water at these words. She had been expecting to the word "sexual intercourse", but certainly not fucking, even though really meant the same thing. 

"Oh God, are you okay there girl?!" Natasha asked as she placed her hand on Rey's back, patting her gently.

"Yes, it...." She cleared her throat several times. "....It just...it just went down the wrong pipe." I'm all right now, thanks."

"So, like, I was saying, let me see here...." Natasha paused and tapped her finger against her chin. "I met Ben, like two years ago today, when he First Order Holdings was running an ad campaign for a modeling company that I worked for. We're not like in a serious relationship at all, but we've been fucking around off and on ever since. Like, he calls me and I come over."

Oh my God, this has got to be the most awkward conversation that I have ever had with a individual in my life, literally!

"And I mean, literally. God, do I come so hard! That man knows exactly what he's doing in the sack. Like, the best I've ever had---no joke. And those fucking lips and tongue...they are so, like, not only good for kissing, I mean, when he goes down---"

"It suddenly feels like it just got a tad bit hotter out here, right?" Rey interrupted, and quickly stood up. She fanned her face with her hand. "Yeah, it definitely feels hotter out here.'

Natasha furrowed her brow at his. "Hmm, I don't feel it. Maybe, it's because I'm from California and the weather is hot there like all the time."

"Well, I do. I'm just going to go back inside and hang out in the air conditioning." said Rey getting to her feet. 

"Oh, okay, like, I'll join you." Natasha exclaimed, hopping up a little too eagerly.

_ God, please don't....stay out here and fry....please!_

Walking back into the penthouse, Rey found Poe sitting on the leather couch. "You all right there, babe? You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I;m okay." She walked over to him. "But I need to use the restroom before we head out, if that's okay?"

"Yeah, sure, take your time." Poe smiled.

Natasha pouted and slumped into a chair next to Poe. "Oh no! I was, like, rather hoping we could like all go get some lunch together or something! There's like, this posh little Greek restaurant that just opened up last week., and I'm so wanting to try it out!"

"Oh, that does sound good." Poe rose to his feet and walked into the kitchen to grab himself, yet, another beer. "I'm actually starving!"

"Poe, we're supposed to go shopping, remember?"

"We'll go afterwards, babe, just relax. Fifth Avenue will still be there when we get done." He replied, sliding open his phone to make a quick phone call. Rey just stared at him, fuming, as he started a conversation with the person on the other end.

"Oh goody, this will be fun!" Natasha clapped.

Ben walled into the living room, still lounging n his pajama pants. He immediately started massaging Natasha shoulders. It....it unnerved Rey....in fact, she fucking hated seeing him touching her like that!


	9. Chapter 9

"What are you clapping for?" He asked, his eyes fixated on Rey.

"She's like, really excited because we're all, like, going to out lunch together." Rey shot him a wicked smile, her eyes narrowing. "So, like, I need to use your bathroom before we all go. Can you, like, tell me which one of these many galls I need to go down to get it?"

Natasha beamed from ear to ear. Clearly, she thought it was all some sort of game, when in reality, they were actually making fun of her. The corner of Ben's mouth turned up into a wicked smile, once that Rey was unable to resist.

"It's like, at the end of the hall, last door on your right." He said, pointing down the hall. 

Without a backward glance, Rey headed in the direction he had pointed. She shut the bathroom door behind her, glad to finally have a few minutes alone and not out there with whatever the hell all that was----_ugh, that girl is so stupid! How could any man be attracted to all that? Then she remembered, blonde, big breasts---even dumber personality!_

"Un-fucking-real." She murmured as she studied her reflection in the bathroom.

After taking a few minutes to grasp the fact that she was about to spend her afternoon in a very uncomfortable situation, she emerged and found Ben leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed. She heard Poe and the Cali Girl laughing in the other room, but the conversation between them was inaudible.

"You really do just find this whole thing absolutely fucking hilarious, don't you?"

Smiling, he stepped closer. "I mean, don't you?"

Her instinct was to step back, not to let him come any closer and yet he was---inch by inch, step by step. _Goddamn it, why did he have to be so hot?! Why?!_

"Not nearly as funny as you think." She answered.

Undeterred by her response, Ben stepped closer to her still. This man certainly did not know the meaning of respecting one's boundaries, but maybe this is just how he wanted it. To make her as nervous and as uncomfortable as possible.

"We're pals, Rey, remember?"

Not saying a word, she took yet another step back from him, only to find that she was now against the wall with her sweaty palms pressed against the cool surface. He propped his hand just above her shoulder, angling his head as he ducked down to stare into her eyes.

"Relax, it's just lunch." He said, his voice lower than usual, but seductive all the same. "Friends do have lunch together all the time." 

Closing her eyes, Rey tried to concentrate on Poe's voice in the other room, but Ben's sweet breath was so close it made it difficult to comprehend anything. Goose bumps erupted all over her skin.

"You're so fucked up, Benjamin Solo." Her heart ricocheted in her chest so hard she swore he could see it.

"You think so?"

Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and nodded at him. He caught his bottom lip, dragging it slowly between his teeth. He knew it would only unnerve her further, which is exactly what he wanted. 

"Well, then can I make a confession, since I seem to be a pretty fucked-up guy to you all of a sudden?"

His husky voice made a fresh round of butterflies explode within her stomach. Another speechless nod slipped from her. Softly running his fingertips down her bare arm, he slipped a bottle cap into her hand.

He leaned in, inches from her ear, his voice nothing but a soft whisper.

"I completely forgot to give you this when you walked on." Smiling, he backed away from her and out the door.

Rey let out the breath she was holding and tried to restore her jumping pulse to a normal rhythm. A know swelled in her throat. After shoving the damn bottle cap into her purse, she made her way back into the living room and sat on the couch next to Poe.

Over the next fifteen minutes, while waiting for Ben to get ready, she endured Natasha's mind-numbingly detailed explanation of her recent plastic surgery to lift her already peachy ass even higher. Natasha seemed to be a nice, slightly confused girl, but by the time Ben walked into the living room, Rey was more than happy to get the hell out of there.

If it was possible, the elevator ride down was more torturous than the ride up. The sexual tension in the small space was so thick Rey felt it slithering across her skin. The two couples stood across from one another. Poe and Natasha talked about stock options he felt she should look into purchasing.

Ben casually leaned against the wall, smiling and wrapping his arm around Natasha's waist, his eyes never wavering from Rey. She watched him just as intently. He was checked out in a formfitting black shirt that strained around his muscled forearms and matching black slacks that hugged his tapered waist.

When the cheery ding of the elevator rang on the bottom floor, Rey slipped out as fast as she could, retreating to the open-aired space of the lobby---away from him.

The couples decided they would all drive in Poe's car over to the restaurant. Natasha and Ben in the backseat, and Rey lost track of the amount of times she rolled her eyes when Natasha giggled at something Ben whispered. No, doubt it was probably something sexual.

When they arrived, Poe helped Rey out of the car as Ben did the same for Natasha. Although the savory smell of Greek food lingering in the air appealed to Rey's senses, she didn't have much of an appetite when the host showed them to their table.

"So, Rey, you're really beautiful." Natasha remarked, from across the table. "Have you ever, like, thought about a modeling career? You're over eighteen, right?"

"Um yes. I'm actually twenty-four, but no, I've never thought about doing anything like that. Besides, I like food way too much." She laughed, handing the menu back to the waiter.

Poe reached for Rey's hands and looked over at Natasha. "I wouldn't want her modeling anyway."

"Why not? She'd, like, make totally awesome money in doing it, and I have the best agent in all of New York City! I could totally introduce her to him!"

"She doesn't need to worry about money." Poe leaned back. "It's just something that I prefer she'd not do, is all."

Natasha just shrugged and flipped her long flowing blonde hair to the side begrudgingly.

"So, Poe, said you'll be starting that new job in Greenwich Village?" Ben asked, glancing over in Rey's direction.

"Yes." She replied, placing a napkin in her lap. "Yes, I'm very, vert excited to start---it's been a long time coming, really and I just cannot wait to get everything in order."

"Yeah, she's going to be working with a bunch of women at this new facility, so I don't have to worry about any of her coworkers developing a crush on her." Poe laughed, and leaned over to kiss her neck.

"Ah, but you may be incorrect on that, Poe." Ben said. "I had a bit of a thing for my first female coworker."

Poe took a swig of his whiskey on the rocks. "Are you for real right now, man?"

"I am. I was sixteen." Ben replied as he leaned back in his chair. "If I recall....." He paused for a second and smiled. "Her name was Miss Kaydel. And, man, let me tell you, I had it so bad for her. She drove something in me crazy that I couldn't quite understand."

Rey shot him wry smile and just rolled her eyes. _Fucking jerk!_

Natasha, of course, just laughed, playfully smacking him on the arm. "Like, you were totally after women, even then, huh?"

"Apparently, he was." Rey tented her hands under her chin and eyed him from across the table. Smirking, Ben drew up a brown but remained silent.

"Holy shit, if it isn't Poe Dameron!"

Rey turned around and observed a tall man around their age beaming, his brown hair slicked back with a good a amount of gel.

"Oh no fucking way!" Poe stood, rounded the table and shook the young man's hand. "Where the hell have you been hiding, man?!"

The man smiled as he continued to shake Poe's hand. "Down in Cancun with the luscious senoritias, but I am back and hotter than ever be. So, what's up with you, man? How you doing these days?"

"I'm good, I'm good." said Poe brightly.

Poe then turned to Rey. "Hey, babe, this is an old buddy of mine from college, Keith Jacobs. Keith, this is my girlfriend, Rey Johnson."

She politely shook Keith's hand, and Poe then introduced him to Ben and Natasha. Small talk was briefly exchanged, and Poe then excused himself to go chat it out with Keith at the bar for a few minutes. Figuring she could play the game just as well as any man--if not better--Rey smiled and turned to Natasha.

"So, Natasha, have you the chance to visit the New York Public Library, yet?"

"Oh, well, not yet, but I like to read magazines. I'm sure they have some there, right?"

Ben just smiled in Rey's direction, thoroughly enjoying her wise-ass remark. He knew exactly the conversation she was referring to by bringing up the library.

"Absolutely, they do." Rey widened her hazel eyes. "Hundreds, if not thousands of magazines would be right at your fingertips." She then took a sip of her much-needed cosmopolitan and smiled. "I even bet there's a ton a Vogue magazines as well."

Natasha smiled. "Thanks for the suggestion. Like, I totally have to check it out one day. But right now, I have to powder my nose. I'll be right back!"

She stood up, dropped a chaste kiss on Ben's temple, and scooted across the restaurant, her ass chucking firmly from side to side as she adjusted her tube dress. Rey was so thankful to have a moment---even if she was still sharing a table with the smart-ass sitting in front of her.

"That was actually pretty funny." Ben remarked as he slightly leaned across the table. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, you're a pretty funny girl, Rey."

"Really, Ben? A man of your stature dates a compete ditz like that?! I guess you weren't kidding after all when you said that you attract the all-beauty-and-no-brains-type."

He shrugged. "And I told you that we all have ways of filling voids in our lives. She gives me what I need, and I give her what she needs. It's a win-win, so it seems pretty fair if you ask me."

"Oh, yeah that's right, because who could honestly miss the rock hanging down from her neck?"

"You seem...upset." He replied, his voice monotone and his face impassive in nature.

Rey's temper flared, but she kept her overall tone to a whisper, so as to avoid causing a scene in the restaurant and in front of all these people. 

"You want to know what I'm upset about?! I'm upset that you blatantly go out of you way to make me uncomfortable! What happened to your whole wanting-to-just-be-friends gesture? Or was that all I lie too?!"

"Am I really making it that hard for you?" He asked mockingly.

"Yes, Benjamin Organa-Solo, you are!" She quietly spat, her fingertips white-knuckled around her wine glass. She was absolutely furious at him!

With this need for her trapped inside---blistering hot, swelling, ready to explode--he leaned closer, dropping his voice in a soft whisper. God, just what the fucking was he going to say now and could she handle it once he had?

"Good, because whenever you're near me, I fucking lose every bit of self-control that I have left in my goddamn body."

Rey's throat tightened at his unexpected words. She exalted heavily, the sound hanging in the air as tingles crashed through her entire body. And to top it all off, with every second he stared at her that way, she got hotter.

The impact created an explosion between her legs, causing her chain reaction of anger mixed turned his hot gaze with one of her very own, showing a streak of defiance as she tried to catch her breath.

"What do you want from me, Benjamin Solo? I mean, seriously, what do you want from me?"

"I want you to give into what I see behind your eyes time I'm near you, Rey."

Slowly--ever so slowly--he licked his lips. His brilliant amber-eyes hardened with palpable lust that Rey felt he just lunge at her from across their table any second now. _No, no, keep your distance, Solo! You just stay on your fucking side of that table!_

"I want you to give into me the way you trembled in my arms when I first touched you, the way your breathing becomes faster with ever second that I look at you."

She just stared at him, her heart ricocheting in her chest, but she couldn't form any coherent sentences after such a confession as this. I mean, what could she possibly say to him after that? 

"I loved the way your lips felt against mine, and I'm pretty sure you did too. I also enjoy the way I can almost feel you becoming so fucking wet for me right now." Leaning in closer; he dropped his voice to a hard whisper. "Are you really going to just sit here and pretend you don't feel anything for me at all, Rey?"

He wasn't even touching her, yet he was correct---on everything--her panties were damp. She hated that he was right; she hated that he noticed every physical and emotional reaction she had towards him.

And yet she hated that she also wanted him so badly that she could taste it._ Damn him! _

"I-I'm not answering your question, Ben."

"You don't like answering questions." He stated through gritted teeth, trying his damnest to fight his urge to drag her clear across the table and into his arms. He could've devoured every inch of her right here. Like a tornado ripping through anything in its path, her very presence alone pulled him to her.

_Damn her!_

"No, Ben, I don't like answering your questions." She quickly whispered. "And it looks like I don't have to because your filler void is walking back this way. She's good for one thing, I admit, making as seriously awkward conversation that much less awkward." 

Ben's pupils lost her gaze and dilated with awareness of what she'd said. Casually leaning back, he plastered on a fake smile as Natasha approached them. Before sitting down, she leaned down and pull him in for chaste kiss. Rey was foolish not to peel her eyes away from their open-mouthed exchange.

She felt a nauseated pang deep in the pit of her stomach at the sight of Ben sliding his hot tongue over Natasha's mouth. She didn't know why she had such feelings, but watching them, she felt pissed, and she knew she had no right to be.

When the kissing skit finally ended, Ben's brown eyes flickered over to Rey. His gaze was unsteady with a strong hint of something to akin to an apology shimmering behind him.

One corner of Natasha’s mouth tipped in a satisfied smile before she finally sat down next to him. “Sorry that I took so long. Like, I had to totally empty out on my purse to find my lipstick!” 

Rey drew in a long breath and almost jumped up when she felt a large hand squeezing her shoulder evenly. She turned around and met Poe’s gaze. She tried to her heart to slow down form it’s frantic shock of the conversation that had just occurred between her and Ben. 

The waiter eventually brought their food. Heated glances were exchanged between her and Ben for the remainder of the meal and if kept Rey’s hands nervously dancing with her silverware.

After being forced to endure an hour of mind-fucking conversation, regarding Poe’s concern over Ben’s stock portfolio choices, Rey elated when the couples finally retreated to Poe’s car, putting an end to the horrible afternoon that had left her stomach i knots. 

She was practically silent during their drive across the city to drop off Ben and Natasha, but if Poe noticed her sudden change in demeanor, he didn’t comment on it. When they arrived at Ben’s high-rise, Rey claimed she wasn’t feeling well, grasping any excuse to stay in the car while Poe walked them to the entrance. He politely kissed Natasha’s cheek and bade farewell to Ben with a firm handshake.

Whole Poe headed back to the car, Rey’s eyes were magnetically drawn to Ben, who held the door open for Natasha as she sauntered to the lobby, flipping her long blonde hair.

Before he followed in pursuit, Ben turned around, both his hands buddies in his front pockets, and threw Rey one last longing, piercing stare that would stay burned into her memory for the rest of the afternoon. 

Poe lounged info his seat and smiled at her. “So, you ready for some Faith Avenue shopping now, babe?” 

Although feeling as if she has just narrowly escaped from a psychiatric ward, Rey plastered her own fake smiled and nodded. “Yes, let’s just get the hell out of here.” 

***********

The midmorning air in Central Park was mild but cooler than usual for the second week of August. Rey spread a small checkerboard sheet under of the maple trees that provided shade of from the vibrant sun. Placing her backpack beside her, she took out two sandwiches, a couple of bottles of water, and her favorite novel, Wuthering Heights.

All she needed now was Poe. When she glanced down at her watch, she noticed that he was already twenty-minutes late. As the city hummed its daily incessant chatter--even in the serene peace of the park--she finally decided to give him a call to find out what was taking him so long.

He answered on the first ring, much to her delight, his voice traveling through the phone with a hint of remorse.

"Please don't be mad me, babe." 

Taken slightly aback by his greeting, she didn't speak. Of course, typical Poe Dameron remark. What was the excuse this time?

"Hello? Rey, are you there, babe?" 

"Yeah, I'm here like I'm supposed to be, but you're not. Where the heck are you, anyways?"

"I'm over in New Jersey, but---"

"You're in New Jersey!" She interrupted, her voice an octave higher than usual. "Poe, what the heck?! Did you just forget? I'm sitting here at Central Park waiting for you!! 

"Rey, will you just calm down and let me explain?" Poe asked.

"Fine, then, Poe, explain! Explain away!" Rey groaned.

"Do you remember that big Japanese tycoon that I told you about was interested in investing with that Morgan and Buckingham stock?" He paused, awaiting her reply, but none came. "Tatkatsuki Yamamtoto?"

"Just get to the fucking point here, Poe!" Rey said through gritted teeth. 

"Well, shit, Rey, I'm trying to." 

She sighed, and allowed him to continue on with his story. Yeah, this should be really good! Probably about as impressive as the last story he had told her explaining as to why he had been fifteen, thirty--near and hour-and-a-half late.

"Well, he flew in from japan late last night and is only out here for the next two days. He's asked to meet with me personally. I got the call early this morning from my boss, telling me to come out there and speak with him." He answered a question directed at him from someone in the background while Rey waited. "Babe, listen--I-I have to go. I'm so sorry, but this account is a huge deal for me!"

Again, Rey said nothing. He should have known she would be pissed. It seemed here a lot lately that was the only side of her personality he ever got to see anymore.

_Ugh, I'm doing this for her, for us! She should be happy that I'm taking this account on such short notice!_

"Come on, babe." He breathed. "We'll do it another day, I promise."

"I know, it's just that I literally took off work, and I was really looking forward to---"

"Rey, seriously, stop trying to make me feel bad." He said, this tone clearly annoyed. "This is very important to me. Look, I'll be at your and Rose's place around six. We'll grab a bite to eat together."

And with that, the line went dead. After the shock of him hanging up on her finally wore off. Rey quickly rose to her feet and reluctantly starting packing up what was supposed to be their little romantic getaway.

As she tucked the sheet into her brown backpack, she straightened up at the sound of her name being called out from the distance. Before she even turned to see the face, a familiar tingle instantly traveled up her spin.

She knee exactly who it was and who the voice belonged to. When she finally spun around, Ben was jogging across the park, with one of his cousins. The backpack quickly slipped through her fingers as she took in his casual attire--a white V-neck T-shirt (oh, so he does own another color besides black, after all), and black cargo-shorts, and a blue New York Yankees baseball cap.

Rey tried her best to gather her racing thoughts as he approached. It wasn't just that his presence pulsed through her. It wasn't that his masculine scent lingered on her senses, burning in her mind and plaguing her every dream. It wasn't even that damn kiss either.

It was his unwavering charm, his bold confidence, insane sexiness, and the undeniable dominance exuded. All of those things----a truly lethal cocktail--sacred and fascinated her. It was his a twisted paradox occurred whenever she around him.

As much by she felt the need to flee from him, she also felt unmistakably drawn to him. Suddenly, she beamed aware of the heightened charge in the air. A tense kind of feeling seemed to press in her lungs, making her feel breathless.

To top it all off with a heavy dose of whipped cream, seeing him flooded her mind with last encounter two weeks earlier.

_Breathe, Rey, just breathe...._

"REY!" Joe called out as they approached.

Walking over, Rey smiled at both men, but her eyes flashed across to Ben. He looked so damn good, with his flowing black hair blowing carelessly in the wind, and those clothes gripping his body in all the right places.

He honestly looked good enough to eat, but Rey didn't want to give that impression, particularly in front of his cousin.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked as nonchalantly as humanly possible, considering the circumstances.

Ben then hunched over and propped his hands on his thighs, trying to catch his breath. He then straightened himself up, and smiled at her. "W-We were just playing some soccer over in the park."

"You mean I'm kicking your ass at some soccer!" Joe said, slapping Ben hard in the shoulder. "You tripped twice, bro!"

Rey tried not to laugh as she tried not to envision him tripping over his two large left feet, but it hard to maintain her giggling fits. Joe was only too happy to indulge in the situation by embarrassing the living shit out of his cousin. Ben just stood there, his cheeks turning slightly red. 

"Very cool." Rey replied with a smile. "A business mogul and a terrible soccer player all in one."

"Just add it to my resume." Ben added with shrug. "Well, I was better at baseball, you know the Minor League stuff than I was at soccer, anyways."

"I can't believe you spotted me here." said Rey a slight shake of her head.

"Well, I actually didn't see you at all. Joe here, did." Ben confessed, raking his head through his thick mane of black hair. 

Joe then looked down at his watch, and nearly jumped backwards which caused both Rey and Ben to look at him with alarm. He bent over picked, up his soccer ball and explained that he needed to head back to his apartment to get cleaned up.

Clearly, he had a date and from the grin that was growing across his face, they could tell that he was rather looking forward to it. They bid him goodbye and Ben followed Rey, helping her gather the rest of her belongings.

"Mr. Solo, it's always a pleasure." Rey said with a smile, extending her hand towards him.

Ben, however, didn't shake it because he knew if he touched her, he wouldn't be able to resist the urge of pulling her into his lips. Running a nervous hand through his hair, he kindly backed away slightly. Rey smiled awkwardly and slung the backpack over her shoulder.

_What have I done wrong, now?_ Rey thought as she turned her gaze away from him. Was he still upset about what happened at the restaurant? Ben then found his words stuck in his throat like verbal gridlock.

"Wait, that's it? You're just going to leave me here all by myself?"

"You're a big boy, Solo." said Rey. "I think you can find something to occupy the rest of your afternoon."

He laughed for a moment and then suddenly his face became serious again. "I just thought this could be an opportunity to redeem myself." 

"Redeem yourself? For what?"

"For my behavior towards you the last time that I saw you. I'm sorry that I made you uncomfortable, but...." He lowered his voice and stared deep into her eyes. "....I'm not sorry for the way I feel about you, Rey. I won't apologize for that, so don't ask me to. They're my feelings, and I can't deny them. But I really, truly, just need to be friends with you."

She swallowed nervously, her voice just as low as his. "Ben, we've talked about this before, and---"

Cutting her off, he stepped closer, not wanting to let go of her, of what they could still possibly be one day. "I promise you this time, I swear to God I won't say anything or do anything to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to get it out there--about the way I feel about you---but now I'm done." He shifted and took a step back, not letting his eyes stray away from her face. "You've got me twisted for some strange reason and I can't understand it, and I don't know if ever will. I just find you to be the most remarkable...."

Oh, God, did he really just say all of that?! Rey didn't know if anything he had just said had been real, or if she had dreamt the whole thing up. Either way, she didn't feel like waking up or being told otherwise---she wanted him to just keep going. 

"....I don't know." He drew in a depth breath. "There's just something about you that just....sets you apart from any other woman that I've ever met in my life. And because of all of it, I'm willing to put my feelings for you aside just to be your friend."

_Just to be near you, if nothing else....I'll take it as long as I can be with you in some way....._

Not only did her heart pause at this words, but her stomach curled in a very disturbingly pleasant way as she gauged his face. True emotions swirled behind his eyes, and something even deep down told her that he was being sincere.

Everyone deserved a second chance, even someone like Benjamin Organa-Solo. 

"Okay, we'll try this again. So you want me to hang out with you for a little while?"

Ben took in a deep lungful of air, the knot in his chest releasing as he realized he had been holding his breath awaiting her answer.

"You like baseball, don't you:"

"How did you know that?" Rey then asked him, shocked he would know that---of, course he would know! The sly devil!

"Well, the night I found out that you were really Rey and not Kaydel." He grinned. "Before you came into the club that night, Poe told me that his girlfriend was this huge baseball fan nerd."

"So am I too understand that you want me to play some baseball with you?" She asked, furrowing her brows.

"You can take in all of the spectacular sights New York has to offer, but you haven't experienced New York to it's fullest until you've been to a Yankees game." He said with a grin. "Hux was supposed to come to the o'clock game today, but he canceled on me the last minute." 

He then pulled two tickets from his back pocket and held them up to her. Was he going to ask her to attend the baseball game with him? If he was, there was absolutely no way that she could say no--and she didn't want to either.

She actually wanted to hang out with Ben Solo again, she kind of missed him.

"I have season tickets, but it would be an awful shame to let these two go to waste."

A confused smile touched her mouth as she contemplated him for but a moment---yeah, he's totally asking you to go with him, Rey Johnson. Don't you dare say no!"

"You want me to go to a baseball game with you, don't you, Solo?"

"I do."

"I don't know." She replied, looking down at the ground and the back up to him again. "That might be a little much, don't you think?"

His smile was slow, making his brown eyes sparkled mischievously. "Surely, in a stadium filled with nearly fifty thousand people, I think I should be able to keep myself from attacking you."

Rey screwed her mouth to one side. "True. But I'm not even a Yankees fan. I'll be rooting for the underdog team. Is that something else you think you can handle?"

With eyes widened, he placed his hand over his chest, mocking a wounded heart. "Mmm, you keep talking like that, and you may find a way to get me not to admire you as much as I do. I'm a serious diehard Yankees fan, Miss Johnson, but I'm sure I could handle sitting next to a very beautiful non-Yankees fan that I've brought with me."

She just shook her head and laughed at his response. "Okay, I'll consider this friendly outing under one condition."

"Anything, let's go!" He said, reaching for her back-pack.

"Wait, you don't even know what is it that I was going to say, Ben."

His hand on the small of her back and started leading her out of the park. "It's no problem. Whatever it is, I can most definitely handle it, I assure you."

She then came to an abrupt halt just as they were pass out of the metal gates and out onto the busy streets and giggled up at him. "You will listen to me, or I will go nowhere with you, Benjamin Solo. Do you understand me?"

A delicious grin slid across his mouth. "I'm all ears, Miss Johnson."

"Like that." She motioned his hand resting gently on her back. He slowly smiled and pulled it away. "No touching me, no undressing me with your eyes, and no doing any of that...that damn stupid thing your mouth when you pull it between your teeth."

He smiled. "Does me sucking on my lip really bother you that much, Rey?"

_Only because it's so insanely fucking hot when you do, Solo! It makes me wonder what else you could do to me with those lips of yours...…_

"Yes, it's....it's rather annoying."

He then slowly dragged his bottom lip between his teeth, ending it with a luscious popping sound. "Well, the same thing goes for you, then."

She kinked her hand to the side and sighed. "You're such a smart-ass. You've already warned me about not bringing any attention to my lips." She then covered her mouth with her hand, muffling the rest of her words. "Well, is this better for you?" 

He nodded at this and laughed. He was so fucking hard right now, but he would do his best to maintain his primal animal instinct in front of her, but she was pushing him---dearly pushing him to his breaking point.

_Yeah, I'll be glad to bite that lip or anywhere else you'd like my lips to be on that body of yours, Miss Johnson._

"But I don't look at you like I want to rip your clothes off, and surely, I don't touch you."

He then shrugged his shoulders at her. "Well, since we're both being up front and honest with each other, you have absolutely no idea how much I would love it if you did touch me."

She dropped her hand from her mouth and let it hang wide open for a second. "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. This, right here! You can't talk to me without it sincerely getting super sexual in nature!"

She then turned on her heel to walk away from him. Letting outa full, throaty chuckle, he jogged over and gently grabbed her by her elbow. She eyed his hand and he quickly releaed her and smiled down at her. "Rey, I'm just kidding with you. Come on, it's just jokes...it's who I am, really."

She cocked her brow, unable to keep the smile off of her face as he stood there with an innocent boyish grin. She knew he was anything...but.

"If you want me to go with you, you keep your hands to yourself, Solo? You got it? If not, I will make you pay severely for it."

"Sounds kind of kinky---I like it." He then smirked. "However, I'm nothing but a peasant to your request of being a complete and utter gentleman. Now, let's go. We need to catch the number four."

"Wait, we're taking the bus?"

"Uh, no." He stated, a questioning look appear on his face. "The number four's the subway, sweetheart."

"Oh, I thought we would drive or something."

"Hell no!" He then took the backpack from her and tossed it over his shoulder. "We're doing this certified New York style, doll."

**********

Despite her surprise that she was actually going to be spending the day with him, Rey followed. A couple of city blocks later, they hopped onto the subway.

Between a teenage couple making out as if they were at a house party, a guy in a flowered sundress talking to himself while eating Chinese food with his hands, and the mass of overly aggressive Yankee fans chanting: Let's go Yankees!"

Rey was more than thrilled when they finally arrived at the stadium. Once there, they both got something quick to eat. Rey ordered a hot dog and a bottle of water, and Ben chose a bag of peanuts and a beer. He showed Rey to their seats right behind home plate.

Ben looked like a little kid in a candy store, and Rey thought a man of such power getting excited over being a baseball game was cute. Ben glanced at his watch as the stadium started to fill with more people.

"We have some time to kill. The game will start in about thirty minutes."

Rey nodded and looked down at her phone, noticing she had a missed call from Poe. She then shifted comfortably in her seat and rethought about what she had just gotten herself into.

She debated whether or not to tell Poe where she was, but before she could delve too far into her dilemma, Ben spoke up.

"Let's play twenty questions while we're waiting for the game to start." He said popping a peanut into his mouth. "I get to go first this time."

"Bullshit, you went first the last time. I get to go first this round."

"You don't miss a beat, do you, Miss Johnson?" Ben then asked, smirking. 

"Not usually, no." She answered.

"Okay, that seems fair. Ask me something."

Rey's mind roved over on what she had wanted to ask him, but she was unsure if she really should. Nonetheless, it was her turn to let her curiosity get the better of her. She felt there was still so much of Benjamin Organa-Solo, she still didn't know.

"I-I want to know why you and your ex-fiancé broke up."

His expressed became somewhat guarded as he stared off into the stands. Rey saw the bright amber of his eyes change as though a cloud had passed overhead--and in that moment, she regretted bringing it up.

He leaned forward, placed his beer on the ground and looked back over at Rey.

"Hmm, my first question addressed to you the last time we played about your favorite ice-cream flavor. You're going straight for the kill, I see."

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked." She whispered, looking down.

"No, it's okay. I just wasn't expecting that right out of the gate, but I feel comfortable talking to you about it."

Rey's head snapped up at these words. She was floored by his response---she figured he'd get mad, or be upset but he was surprisingly very calm about the whole thing.

"Y-You do?"

"Yeah, for some reason, I just so." Pulling a breath, he leaned back and hesitated for a few seconds. "She left me because First Order Holdings was going under at one point. My boss offered my assistant Tim and me the funds to keep it afloat. But being us---we boys tend to be a little stubborn at times, and we refused his help, knowing we could get it back on track on our own." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I explained everything to her, let her know we needed to cut back on some our spending just until I could find a way to resurrect the money. She argued that I should accept Snoke's money and called me crazy for even thinking we could get back on our feet without his help. Along with Tim, who I consider like a brother, I was firm on my decision not to take the money. She was living with me in my penthouse after we got engaged. I came home one day after work to a letter---in beautiful handwriting, I have to add--saying that she couldn't take the risk of not living the life I had afforded her."

He then reached down for his beer, took a long sip and exhaled deeply. The pain, even after all these years still greatly affected him, but he was glad that he had someone like Rey Johnson to listen, to understand his disposition, to understand him completely.

"Five years together and her finally good-bye to me....was a pathetic neatly written letter."

Rey searched his eyes and saw the enduring pains swirling behind them. Her heart ached for him, burned for him. "You loved her, didn't you?" She whispered.

He gave a quick shrug. "Well, yeah I loved her and she broke my heart. I thought she loved me for the man that I was without all my glitz and money. I mean, when we first met, I was in my senior year of college, so I wasn't as successful as I eventually became. She betrayed the faith that I had in love when she left me." He pressed his lips into a hair line. "Don't get me wrong, looking back on it now, I know we weren't made for each other. One, she was far too concerned about the way appeared in public--anything from what cars we drove to the parties we attended together." 

He rubbed at his chin and absently continued on with telling his story.

"She wasn't like that when we first met; the change was gradual. Our biggest difference was that she made it absolutely clear that she never wanted children and I loved her enough to actually consider a life without ever having any, but like I said, looking back, she wouldn't have been worth giving up the chance for me to have a family of my very own." 

A faint smile touched Rey's lips. "You actually want kids, Ben?"

"I want a fucking bucket load of kids tucked nearly in to a minivan." He admitted, his lips curling upwards into their usual faint smile.

"Wow, Ben Solo in a minivan---sounds sexy."

"Absolutely." He replied, reaching for his beer. "A funky forest-green colored one too. I'll be like the coolest dad in all of Manhattan pulling to you school in that thing, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh for sure!" Rey laughed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rey watched him adjust his baseball cap, feeling a little shocked by everything he had just told her. She slowly began to understand his need for filling in the voids in our lives. That one had no doubt made a huge gap.

"So, you haven't seen her since?"

"I have, actually. I saw her recently, to tell you the truth."

"So how did that conversation go?" She asked reluctantly.

"It was....rather interesting to say the least. I ran into her a while back while out with a couple of my buddies. She talked a bunch of stupid shit, saying she was happy to see the company doing well. She admitted she missed me and still loved me, and then she confessed that leaving me was the biggest mistake she had made of her life." 

He popped another peanut on his mouth and smiled at her. "You can see where I'm going all of this, right?"

"Yes, I can. Now, that you're all financially secure again, she wants you back in her life." 

"Bing, doll. I knew you were always quick." He took a swig of his beer. "Somehow I always knew we weren't destined to work out from the beginning and I knew better than to drag it out as long as I did."

With a loud crack in the sky, the opening ceremony began, and soon after, the game was in full swing. A hard crack of the bat, plunging the ball into the outfield, started the Yankees off a high score.

Throughout the game, Ben repeatedly brought unwanted attention to Rey, letting every Yankees fan within earth shot know that she was rooting for the underdogs, the Baltimore Orioles.

Fans surrounding them booed her every time the Orioles scored. She playfully nudged, Ben, promising retaliation in whatever form she could conjure up. Still hungry and more relaxed with the overall situation. Rey ordered a pretzel and decided to have a beer with Ben.

By the bottom of the seventh inning, the game was tied four-four, bases loaded, with the Yankees up to bat.

Ben smirked in Rey's direction and rubbed his hands together. "Your birds are about to go down."

"You seem pretty confident about that, hot-shot." She said pointing out wit a smile. "I wouldn't be too sure, though."

Ben's eyes flicked down to the corner of her beautiful mouth where the smallest amount of mustard waited for him to wipe it off. Without even blinking, he brought his hand up to her lip, and with the pad of his thumb, he whisked it away. Startled by his sudden movement, Rey immediately flinched.

"There was....there was mustard on your lip." He slowly replied.

Quelling the urge to lick it off with his fingers, grabbed for a napkin instead and whipped his hands clean. 

"You just broke the no-touching-me-rule, Solo." She breathed, ignoring what her body was fighting so hard to deny.

Even as fleeting as it was, his touch felt insanely good in an insanely bad way. He flicked his haze down to her lips again and then back up towards her again. Fuck, he wanted her so bad right now!

"Well I could've let it stay here."

"And you also could've just told me about it too, you wise-ass!" A smile twisted his mouth, one so contagious that she couldn't help but respond with a smile of her very own. "It looks like I have to follow through on my promise and make you pay severely for not-playing fair." 

He cocked an incredulous brow. "Not that I'm against public affection, especially when it comes to you, but how exactly do you plan on accomplishing that in a stadium filled with people, Miss Johnson?"

Rey shot him an evil grin and then leaned forward, tapping the shoulder of a young woman in the row direction in front of them. The woman and her friend sitting next to her then turned around in their seats. Ben just sat here thinking, _Oh God, what is she doing?!_

"I'm very, very sorry to bother you, but my friend here is interested in giving you his phone number. He said that he found you very attractive and just didn't have any nerve to say anything herself. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Ben smiled, shook his head, and all buried his face in his hands with embarrassment. He would get Rey back for this---public or not public displays of affection, she would regret this!

The woman and her friend just laughed, but were in awe when they saw Ben sitting next to Rey. "I do, but I would totally break up with him for him."

"Well, not that it matters that you do, because it won't deter my friend here." Rey replied coolly. "Do you by chance have a pen and piece of paper?" 

The woman immediately dug into her purse, retrieved a pen, and ripped out a piece of paper from her checkbook. She handed them to Rey, and in turn, Rey handed it to Ben.

"There you go, pal. Jot-down those digits for the pretty lady, why don't you?" Rey said, nudging Ben playfully in the shoulder. "And quit being so damn shy about picking women." 

With his dimpled smile, Ben quickly scribbled on the piece of paper and slowly handed it back to the woman. She took a quick look at it and smiled back up at him. "Ben, huh? Cute name that matches an even cuter face! You'll definitely be hearing from me!"

Ben gave her quick nod and turned to Rey. "You're ruthless and that was completely---"

"I did warn you." Rey said now giggling. 

After many chucked peanut shells into Rey's hair later, the game ended with the Yankees winning by three. During the entire subway ride back to Manhattan, Ben took a great pride in reminding her the score every five minutes.

He also confessed that the number he had jotted down for the woman was a complete fake. His defense was that he was no longer into blondes. Shaking her head, Rey sassed him about his little lie. He made sure to see her home, catching a taxi with her back to her apartment.

After asking the driver to run the meter, he walked her up to the main entrance. 

Once again, Rey offered him her hand. "Well, it was a pleasure hanging out with you today, Ben."

"I can shake your hand this time?" He smiled. "I mean I don't want to break any more rules." 

"Yes, I assure you. It's completely fine." 

He obliged and took her hand, experimenting the same rush of heat every other time he had the chance to touch her. Feeling like a malicious entity--selfish and wanting---he eventually let go. 

"The pleasure was all mine, Rey."

Drawing in a deep breath, Rey watched him walk back to the taxi and drive away. Riding up the elevator up to her apartment, her head grew pleasantly fuzzy thinking of the wonderful day she had just had with him.

She tried to settle her nerves because she knew she shouldn't have been with him at all. The balance was hell, but about him she had never thought was possible. Something nudged in her chest, a heightened longing for him mixed with hurt over what he had gone through. 

In an effort to take her mind off him, she concentrated on the fact that Poe was most likely awaiting her arrival. To her relief, he was comfortably splayed out across the couch when she walked in.

Over the next hour, he thoroughly filled her in in his most recent achievement of landing one of the largest accounts in his firm had acquired in more than ten years. Although she debated whether or not to tell him about her day with Ben, she decided against it, not wanting to dismantle Poe's happiness.

Now all she had to do was convince herself Poe's happiness was actually the reason she would hide such a thing like this from him. She settled the argument firing up her head as simply as she could. He didn't ask how her day went, so as far as she was concerned she wouldn't tell.


	10. Chapter 10

"God, Rey, could you hog the mirror anymore? Jesus!" Rose nudged her hip against Rey's in an attempt to see her own reflection. "You look banging! Now let me see myself, please?!"

Rey teased her fingers through her hair, trying to give it a little more bounce without unnecessary hairspray. "You're in my bathroom, friend! Go and use yours!"

Sighing, Rose frowned. "But I like yours so much better; now scoot your hot ass over!" She then jerked her hips against Rey's more force. "Besides, you friend's waiting for you in the other room, so don't be rude! I'll be done in a second and then we can go party till we drop!"

Laughing, Rey sot one last look in the mirror and strolled out of the bathroom. She plucked her outfit off her bed. After slipping into a super short black twill skirt and a red short sleeved buttoned-up blouse, she threw on a pair of black heels and called out to Rose for her approval. Rey playfully spin around, modeling her attired.

"Ooh, you look like a sex-kitten." Rose trilled, clapping gleefully.

Rey smiled and made her way into the living room. Kaydel jumped up from the couch, her brown eyes wide.

"Well damn there, Rey, you clean up well!

Placing her hands on her hips, Rey smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Yeah, girlfriend, it's a compliment!" She tossed her dirty-blonde hair over her shoulder. "It's so much better than to see you walking around in that dang pencil skirt for work that you hate wearing! This shows off your body so well!"

"Well, thank you, Kaydel!" Rey laughed. "For another horrid looking pencil-skirt-wearing gal, you don't look too bad yourself! I mean, I could never pull off fishnet stockings like you can."

Kaydel's mouth curled up wickedly as she propped her legs onto the coffee table. "What you mean these old things? Damn, if I could live in a fishnet bodysuit, I so would! Though, I usually don't care what people think of me, society, I fear wouldn't consider that very proper, would they?"

Rey just shook her head and laughed. "I'm thinking you might be right." 

Rose emerged from the bedroom sporting a red dress and matching heels. Her hair was pulled up off her shoulders, and the dressed hugged her hourglass physique like a gloved.

After twirling around for both Rey and Kaydel, she made her way into the kitchen, pulled out three shot glasses from the cabinet, and topped each other off with heavy dose of tequila.

"Come on ladies!" Rose squealed. "Let's do a couple of mind-fuckers before we hit the club!"

The three women indulged in shot, excited for the much-needed night out in the town. After they downed a second, "mind-fucker", a quick knock came at the door. Poe then walked in, his facial expression that of complete shock. 

"Why even bother knocking, Douche?" Rose asked, rolling her dark eyes. Rey elbowed her hard in the gut. "I mean, sorry, Poe, of course." She huffed out from the impact.

Poe pinned Rose with an icy grin, and then his eyes flicked over Kaydel. He looked back to Rey with a quizzical expression of, _are you fucking kidding me, babe? Pure....fucking....trash!_

"What are you doing? I thought you were hanging out with me tonight?"

Smiling, Rey moved across the room and tossed her arms around his neck, kissing him gently on the cheek. "No, don't you remember? I told you the other day that I was going out with the girls."

Poe lightly gripped her hips and leaned into her ear, his voice very low and dangerous-like. "Can I talk to you on the other room for just a second, babe?"

Rey nodded, and he swiftly grabbed her by the hand, leading her into her bedroom. He snapped the door shut and cross his arms and gave her a very, dark look. He was super-pissed! Great, so what else was new?

"What the actual fuck is all of that out there?" He whispered; his tone laced with venom.

"What are you talking about, Poe? It's just my friends--you know, Rose and Kaydel." She snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh you mean that fucking-cadet, Goth-looking freak in the black leather shirt and skirt." He answered, stepping closer. "Jesus Christ, she's wearing a fucking spiked collar for crying out loud, Rey. She has piercings on her lip, nose, eyebrows and who fucking knows where else?!"

Rey groaned as she moved towards the door, but he blocked her and grabbed a hold of her arm. She looked up at him darkly. 

"Let me pass, Poe."

But when Poe didn't budge, she let out another low groan. This was not how she was going to start out her night--if would shove him aside If she had to. He was not going to ruin this night for her! 

"Are you really going to start with me about her? She's a nice girl, Poe! Who the fuck cares what she looks like?!"

"If my girlfriend's going out with it, I care what it looks like!" He tilted hos head to the side, his dark eyes narrowed. "What kind of attention do you think she's going to bring, looking like that? A common-fucking whore!"

Rey then yanked her arm away and said in a heated tone. "I'm not worried about what kind of attention she's going to bring and I'm sure Rose isn't either, Poe."

He plowed his hands through his curly hair. "Well, what kind of attention do you think that you're going to bring, wearing that ridiculous outfit?!"

"I'm not doing this with you tonight, Poe. I swear, I really am not!" She answered in a low hostile voice, attempting yet again to move past him.

He then grabbed her by the waist and pushed her against the threshold of the door. It frightened her to some degree, but she promised herself that she would not break. Poe's behavior within the last six months had been sporadic, constantly changing back and forth between kindness and aggression.

Rey honestly started to believe that maybe he was bipolar or something!

_It's his job, it's the job--that's all. Once everything settles down, he'll be back to his old self. You'll see, Rey, you'll see!_

"Okay, okay, you're right--I'm sorry. You look beautiful---but I would prefer you not to wear this outfit, for my sake, please?" He then nuzzled her nose against his cheek as he carefully placed her back down on the floor again. "So, which club are you girls going to tonight?"

Rey sighed. "Cielo."

"On West Twelfth?" 

"Yes." Rey answered, straightening the front of her dress, flattening it back down so that it would look presentable and so that her friends wouldn't question as to why she looked so raveled. 

"All right, I'll go and call of the guys from my office and go do something with them tonight." He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers. "You owe me one for this."

She spoke against his mouth. "Yes, but I told you about tonight, Poe."

He then let out a low groan as he sucked on her bottom lip, licking her jaw. "I must've forgotten. I've been working late again and this new account---you know that." He smoothed his hands own her waist, grabbing at her ass. "What time are you going to be back?"

"I'm not sure." She said, now wiggling out of his embrace. "But I do have to go now. They're waiting for me."

He pulled her in for another kiss and walked back into the kitchen with her. Rey very quickly introduced him to Kaydel. With her eyes, she warned him not to say anything to embarrass either one of them. He simply smiled, but Rey could tell that he was very displeased. After the women gathered their belongings for the evening, he followed them outside, hailed a taxi and paid the driver for their ride.

He ducked his head through the back window. “Not too late, okay? Remember we’re having lunch with my parents tomorrow.” 

Rey nodded and leaned up to kiss him. With that, the driver pulled away and sped off down the road. God, to be free of his tightening grip at last, Rey thought. Now it was time for the real party to begin. In a way, spending the afternoon with Ben seemed to have given her that extra push to really just to say no to Poe whereas she wouldn’t have been able to before. Wow, power actually feels pretty damn good! 

“Your boyfriend’s....nice?” Kaydel said while her fingers moved over the keyboard of her phone like a well-piled machine. 

Ross just laughed at this but tried to hide it by covering her mouth. Kaydel didn’t have the first clue to what a control freak he could really be at best of times. Not to ruin the night, Rose said nothing more.

“Thank you, Kaydel.” Rey drawled as her eyes traveled over towards Rose. “He can be a little overprotective sometimes, but he’s a good man.”

As Rose laughed again—this time without even trying to conceal it—Kaydel gasped cause both Rey and Rose to jump slightly in their seats. _What the actual fuck?!! _

"Oh shit! A friend of mine's having a little house party over in Staten Island tonight! We should totally go!" She continued to frantically text. "His pad is incredible, and he throws killer parties! Let's go there instead!"

"Hey, I'm down for whatever!" Rose replied, rummaging through her purse. She glanced nervously over in Rey's direction. "Is that cool with you, Rey?"

"Aren't we all a little bit overdressed for a house party?" Rey then asked.

Kaydel pulled out a flask from her bag, unscrewed the top and took a sip. Well, that's certainly one way to get the party started, Rey thought with a shake of her head. Girl definitely knows what she's doing! 

Kaydel then shook her head. "No, believe me, it's any-thing-goes-sort-of-party." She said as she handed Rey the flask. "Here, it's my own little specialty." 

Rey took it and held it up to her nose and smelled it's contents. "What is it?"

"Just take a fucking sip if it, Rey." Rose piped up, rolling her eyes. "You're always worried about how much you drink. Live a little, girl!"

"I'm already a little buzzed from all those tequila shots, and I had some wine while I was getting ready."

Well, someone just admitted that she's a lightweight. Now, she knew why Poe never liked it whenever she drank, in fact, she might just be as bad as him whenever it came to holding her liquor. 

Both Rose and Kaydel shot her a looking, waiting for her to drink whatever was in the flask.

"Okay, okay, fine, I'll drink it." Rey groaned.

She took one last whiff of the liquid and chugged some. Immediately she started to cough and tried to blink back the stinging in tears in her hazel eyes. Whoa, that was some seriously strong stuff---what the heck is that?!"

"What the hell is that? Man, that's strong!"

Kaydel's eyes brightened with silent laughter as Rey then handed the flask back over to her. "That my friend is some very high-quality, very good Moonshine, baby! A friend of mine makes his own batch on the weekends."

"Oh hell yeah!" Rose chirped and reached for the flask. Her face crinkled slightly from the taste as she wigged her head back and forth, downing two or three large gulps at once "I had this stuff once when I was in high-school. Best buzz I ever had a party!"

"Okay, so are we going to my friend's party or what?" Kaydel laughed.

Rey shrugged. "Let's go!"

After redirecting the driver to their new destination, they pulled up to a swanky three-story townhouse in the Todt Hill area of Staten Island thirty minutes later.

Rose paid the driver the difference, and the woman slipped out of the taxi, each a little wobbly from the moonshine.

This music hammered out of the close windows, vibrating the ground beneath Rey's feet. With a hiccup, she laughed, and they made their way up the stairs and into the house. Multiple high-end speakers towered in very corner of the downstairs level, magnifying the racket to the point where Rey could barely hear her own thoughts.

She scanned the party, and she realized that Kaydel wasn't kidding. It was definitely an "anything goes" gathering. From people sporting casual attire to others dressed as if they were head to prom to girls wearing close to nothing the crowd was a mixed array of every type of partygoer. 

Linking hands, Rey, Rose, and Kayel snaked through the throng of a hundred or so people, ultimately finding owner, Kaydel's friend Snap Wexley. After hugging him hello, Kaydel yelled over the music.

"Snap, this is Rey and Rose!"

Without saying a word, he smiled widely and picked each of them up off of their feet, hugging them as if he had known them for years. _Oh boy, Wexley was a bear-hugger!_ Once he placed them down, Rey and Rose immediately began bursting out laughing. 

"Welcome to mi casa, ladies!" He said, flashing a brilliant smile, his voice booming. "Alcohol's in the kitchen; free lap dances from some of the hottest strippers in New York are located in the downstairs den; pool table's to tear the house; bathrooms are strategically placed on each level; and if you do decide to get a little out of control with someone here, bedrooms with king-sized beds in each are plentiful on the second and third floors! Enjoy!"

"Fuckin, A, cool!" Rose smirked. "You have strippers here?"

Running a hair through his hair, he smiled devilishly. "They come in droves to all my parties, love!"

Rose grabbed for Rey and Kaydel's hands. "Shots are needed in my system right now, chicks!" She then turned back and gave Snap a wink. "Thanks a lot, bud!"

He nodded and then disappeared into the crowd. The women skirted multiple dancing bodies, a guy running around with underwear on his head while a topless girl chased after him, and several other couples making out.

Eventually, they made their way into the kitchen, were a fully stacked bar awaited them.

**********

After consuming two or more shots of tequila each, they headed out to the backyard to partake in an hour-long game of "Flip Cup." Rey was using Captain Morgan as her preferred liquid, so her head was becoming pleasantly fuzzy to say the least.

Walking back into the house with Rose at her side, she leaned up against the wall.

"Rose." She slurred. "I'm pretty...…"

"I know that you're pretty, Rey." Rose chirped, her own words slurring. "But I wish you would stop bragging about it." 

Slowly shaking her head, Rey laughed. "No.....you didn't let me finish, bitch." Her head lolled to the side. "I'm trying to---" she hiccupped---"tell you that I'm pretty"---hiccup--"drunk right now."

"Well, so am I chick but the party still goes on!" Rose laughed and snorted like a pig. 

Rey shook her head again. "No, but I"--hiccup---"am pretty sure that I'm starting to see things too." She pointed towards the front door as she squinted in it's directions. "Look, those two guys"---hiccup---"that just walked in look an awful lot like Ben and Hux."

Rose let out a laugh. "You silly girl, you're not seeing things. It is Ben and Hux!"

Rey looked adorably confused as she then peered at the two blurry images headed straight for them. "You're joking with"---hiccup---"me, right? How would they even know"---hiccup---"that we're at this house?"

Rose bit her lip and swayed from side to side, almost as if she were hiding something. "Well, I might have said something---I mean, since I know that you're digging Ben---as a friend, of course---I decided to give Hux a call. He was already hanging out with Ben tonight, anyways."

She then gave Rey an innocent frown, twiddling her with thumbs, praying that Rey wouldn't blow her top off at the idea that she had gone behind her best friend's back just to invite Benjamin Solo to this party to hang out with them.

Apparently, for once, things seemed to be looking up---Rey was too far gone and too far drunk to really care at this point or so she had thought.

"What the hell did you do, Rose Tico?" Rey asked, her words sloppy and all over the place.

"I told Hux an itsy-bitsy, tweeny-weeny little lie to get them to come out here with us."

Before Rey could inquire about the little lie, Ben and Hux approached them, both of their faces filled with concern. Ben then placed his hands on Rey's shoulders.

"Are you all right, Rey? " His eyes roved over her body as if assessing if she were hurt.

She stared up at him with a blank expressions. She honest to God could not get over the fact that he was actually standing in front of her right now and looking just as beautiful, and as gorgeous as ever.

"Well, where the fuck is he?" Hux asked Rose, clenching his hands into fists. 

"Calm the fuck down, brother." Rose squeaked. "He was tossed out already."

Hux's eyes traveled to Rey. He lifted her chin and moved her head back and forth. "So, how bad did the guy hurt you?"

Now she definitely had Ben's hands on her shoulders and Hux's fingers under her chin. Speechlessly, glaring at Rose with a confused what-the-hell-did-you-tell-them stare, Rey, hiccupped.

Rose then grabbed ahold of Hux's arm. "He didn't hurt her. She was just getting her dance on with a dude, and got a little frisky is all. Like I said, the owner got rid of him."

Ben took a step back and dropped his hands from Rey's shoulder, his mouth gapping. "Rose, you told us that the guy literally smacked her."

Rose buried her face in her cup. "Oh, did I say that?" She laughed.

"Yes, Rose. You made it sound like she had gotten bitch-slapped and tossed to the fucking ground!" Hux barked.

Kaydel then stumbled over and interrupted what was about to become a public argument between three condescending adults. She studied Ben for a second. "Hey, you're that guy from the office that I asked Rey to give my number to."

He slowly smiled. "Yeah, I guess that would be me."

Kaydel returned his smile and flicked her eyes to Hux's direction. If it were possible, she smile widened even more at the sight of him.

"And who might you be you sexy, fucking beast?"

"I'm this exaggerator's close family friend." He said pointing over towards Rose before he returned his attention back to Kaydel. "And who might you be, Miss---?"

"Connix. Kaydel Co Connix, and I'm just a girl who's really into cute guys with red-hair and green eyes."

"Nice.....it would seem that, that fits my description." Hux beamed. "And I'm just a guy who's into a pretty girl who knows how to speak her mind. Do you wanna dance?"

Kaydel grabbed a hold of his hand, threading his fingers with hers, and led him into the living room area. Hux turned back to Ben, giving him the thump up.

"Soooooo." Rose drawled, a huge smirk spreading across her face. "I'm just going to go get my a lap dance from one of those insanely got male strippers. I'll see you two later."

She then disappeared into the crowd, her giggles echoing over the music. Ben smiled at Rey. He noticed the telltale glazed sheen in her hazel eyes. "Well, you're looking pretty good right about now."

She stepped closer and tilted her head up to look at him. God, the way that one loose strand of hair that curled away from his face sent shivers down her spine in all the most delicious ways. He was so sexy and he clearly didn't know it either.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very shmexy?" 

"Pardon? Shmexy?" He laughed, having expected an answer and not a question. He certainly hadn't expected to hear that question. "Don't you mean, sexy?"

"Nope, there's shmexy and then there's sexy. And you, my friend, are shmexy!"

He cocked a brow, her throaty phone-sex voice arousing him instantly. "Mmm, so with all of this now in mind...I have to ask, Miss Johnson? Which is better?"

"Totally shmexy, of course!"

"Well, then, now that I know what it means---thank you. You're pretty shmexy, if I must say so myself."

She then grabbed a hold of his hand and walked towards the kitchen. "Come on, do a shot with me, Ben, or two, or three!"

"What, you mean you haven't had enough to drink already?" He asked.

As she came to an abrupt halt, Ben's chest collided against her back. She quickly spun around and stumbled into him as he grabbed her waist to steady her, to keep her from falling over. 

"Has anyone ever ever told you that you have the most amazing, gorgeous, and shmexy amber eyes or are they more like brown-gold color?" 

"Let me ask you one. What's with all of these questions, pals?" He asked, quite amused. 

"We're friends, and friends ask each other questions, right?" 

He cautiously moved her hair behind her shoulders and smiled down at her. She was literally going to be the fucking death of him one of these days, he just knew she was--and for once, he was actually okay with that.

Being corrupted by the woman he was falling so deeply in love with sounded like a pretty good way to go.

"Yes, I've been told that I have nice eyes and they are brown, copper, amber whatever shades suits you best, Miss Johnson." 

"No, they're not just nice." She hiccupped. "They're...." and she paused, wetting her lips. "They're bedroom eyes." 

"So I'm shmexy and I have bedroom eyes now, huh?"

Nodding, she laced her hand with his again and dragged him into the kitchen. Standing in front of the spectacular array of alcohol, she plucked a red plastic cup from the towering stack and handed it over to him. 

"So....tell me, what's your poison. shmexy, bedroom eyes man? Pick and choose, but choose carefully." 

Crossing his arms at these words, Ben studied her for a moment. "I think I'm going to hold off my drinking for now. And I would suggest that you do the same, Miss Johnson. You are looking like---_-a fucking goddess who I want to make love to_\---like you're about to kill over right now."

Her eyes widened as she swayed back and forth. "What? On no, no, no, Solo. You're doing a shot with me right now! Come on, pretty, please?"

Never mind the cute, girlish way she asked him, her soft fingers lingering on his face had him second-guessing his original gut feeling not to drink with her, considering she was already pretty drunk as it were. He was just glad that Poe wasn't here to see all of this.

He'd blow a fucking gasket right now seeing Rey not being able to control her alcohol consumption but her flirtatious manner with his best friend. 

He swallowed and held up his index finger. "J-Just one, all right?"

She beamed over at him and then show-cased the line of alcohol. "Okay, so back to my question. What's your poison?"

"I'll take that bourbon you're holding." He gestured to a bottle of George T. Stagg with his head.

"This one, you mean?" She asked, holding it up. 

He nodded, and handed her his cup. She then started filling it---and kept on filling it until it was nearing the brim. 

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, killer." He chuckled and took a hold of the cup. Walking over to the sink, he then poured three-quarters of it out. "This should be enough for me, for now." 

She mouthed the word boring and once again clasped his hand, tugging into the frenzied living room. "Dance with me, Ben Solo." She rasped, looking into his eyes with a seductive smile curling her lips. 

"Nah, I'm mot much of a dancer. I'm just going to chill right here and watch you." He motioned towards a couch filled with people equally as out of it as she was. He smiled. "No, no, no, you go right ahead. I'll just sit back and watch with blatant male appreciation." 

She then lifted her chin in defiance. "Pff, your loss then, buddy."

He laughed and watched her wiggle her way through the crowd. She eventually found Hux and Kaydel still going at it. Ben saw her gazing over at him. Her waves of chestnut hair, hanging wildly, swayed as her body moved provocatively in the music. It took everything he had not to stand up and pull her into his arms.

But he knew that dancing with her in the state she was currently in, along with his increasingly aroused frame of mind would be exceptionally dangerous. She was definitely putting on a show for him and him alone. She backed against Kaydel's chest and carssed her down her waist.

Hux's eyes widened at the display, but nonetheless, he positioned himself behind Kaydel grinding his hips against her ass.

Rey's eyes caught Ben's grin as she gestured with her fingers for him to join her. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side, pretending to be confused as he pointed to himself. Smiling, she nodded. He mouthed the word no and pointed to some girl passed out next to him on the couch.

Although, he couldn't hear her, Rey giggled, beaming ear to ear as she continued to grind her backside against Kaydel. Ben's attention broke from Rey's for a second the incoherent girl beside him abruptly sat up and decided that the pillow she was lying on was the perfect spot to throw up.

One of her friends, witnessed the disgusting scene, dragged the girl from the couch, and helped her to the bathroom. Standing, Ben moved across the living room, skillfully dodging several drunken people clinging to one another in order to remain up-right.

He leaned against the wall and scanned the crowd for Rey. When he finally spotted her, Hux and Kaydel weren't with her. Their replacement was some random guy with his hands moving down her waist, his eyes undressing her, his mouth to her ear---wait---now it was on her neck.

Ben evaluated her with the stroke of his eyes, and she seemed content with what was happening, but Ben wasn't. A surge of jealousy slithered through his body, and in just a few strides, he was next to Rey.

With the rigid set of his broad shoulders, a muscle working in his jaw, and his amber eyes filled with lethal calmness, Ben pinned the other man with a sinister glare. Ben didn't say a word, but he didn't have to because the drunken man got the point and backed away from her slowly.

"Aww, you've finally come to dance with me, Ben." She breathed, her skin glittering with sweat now.

Without giving him any warning, she slid her hands around Ben's taunt, muscular chest and then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him onto the dance floor and pressing her body into his at the beat of the dance music. Fuck, she was so beautiful---even when she was drunk!" 

"I like dancing with shmexy guys!"

With their faces inches apart, a rush of adrenaline-spiked heat coursed through Ben's veins. His lips tingled in anticipation as he gazed at Rey's plump lips, remembering how they plastered against his. He tried---God knows he tried---to keep his hands off of her, but he couldn't.

He found them gliding slowly down her waist, lingering as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her skirt. He pulled her closer, reveling in the way her sweat felt against his skin. It was Rey's turn to drag her lip through her teeth as her eyes bore into his with pure, unadulterated lust.

The pulsing music and his hard arousal pressed against her stomach only fueled her further. She didn't know if she heard it, but a soft moan wiped past her lips. She turned around, arched her back against his chest, and titled her head up. Her head barely reached his shoulder.

Slowly--so slowly--he pulled her arms around his neck. As her fingers entangled themselves in this thick, shaggy black hair, he smoothed his hands down the curves of her elbows, skimmed the sides of her breasts, and ultimately settled back on her waist again.

With their bodies moving in sync to Clavin Harris "Feel So Close", Rey felt her heart trip over itself when Ben's lips grazed the shell of her ear.

Now she wanted to turn back around to face around and face him, to see his beautiful and soak inch of his delectable body, but when she attempted to, he held her firmly in place. He was teasing her, she knew it.

His touch left searing heat with every inch that made contact with her sensitive flesh. It left her wanting--no, craving more. His attention was fast becoming an addiction she didn't think she could ever get enough of.

If Mother Nature weren't calling her name, she would've stayed in that position the entire night. Quickly turning to face him, she stared deeply into his eyes.

"I have to go use the bathroom." The words came out breathlessly as she anticipated they would.

"I'll take a walk with you." He replied, wiping a thing sheen of sweat from his brow.

"You don't have to do that."

He smiled at her almost questioningly. "There's no way I'm letting you wander through this mayhem alone."

She playfully flexed her bicep. "Really, I'm a tough girl, Solo."

"Well, you're also a beautiful tough girl, so I would feel a lot better making sure you don't get assaulted on your way to relieve some of that alcohol from your system."

She shrugged. "I guess you have a point there."

He led her gently by the elbow to one of the bathrooms on the first floor. The long line wrapped around the kitchen, so they decided to try one of the others available on the second level. Rey peered at the mountain of stairs with a look of grief. Ben smiled at her at her reaction and helped to her climb to the top.

To her dismay, the line for that bathroom was even longer. Ben let out a full, throaty laugh at the look on her face. She shook her head and explained there was a third level with more bathrooms. As before, he helped her upstairs.

The top level was essentially empty and had no line at all, so Rey was in and out in two minutes. When Rey emerged, she found Ben leaning against the wall, his eyes locking onto hers as she walked steadily over.

Mocking his position, she stood next to him, their shoulders barely brushing. She turned her head to look up at him.

"Thank you for making sure that I didn't get attacked on my way up here."

Pushing himself off the wall, Ben stepped directly in front of her--so close he felt the heat emanating from her body.

"No problem. Besides, what are friends for, right? So, are you ready to go back downstairs?"

Tempting her own destruction, she took her head at him. The sounds of the music and the party below instantly faded away. Other than her own quick breathing, Rey could only hear his voice, see only his eyes, and feel only his hot breath feathering her cheeks.

Ben felt his emotions filtering through her eyes. Lust. Desire. Want. Need. All of which mirrored his own.

He stepped closer, their eyes never unlocking one another. "Tell me what you want, Rey." He whispered.

Not answering and acting on pure impulse, she pressed against him, meeting into the solidness of his defined, hardened muscles. She slowly brought her arms around his neck, stared into his eyes, and pulled in the smooth, woodsy scent of his cologne through her nose.

She anchored him with a salacious gaze, her lips only inches apart, with her sweet, alcohol-infused breath dancing across her face.

"Say it, Rey." The words came out in a low growl as he grasped the curve of her hips. "I need to hear you say it."

Even in her alcohol-induced gaze, she knew exactly what he meant. With her chest rising and falling from her labored breathing, she barely was able to get the words past her cherry-colored lips.

"I....I want you, Ben."

"Now was that so hard? He asked.

When she didn't immediately answer him, Ben knew exactly what he had to do. With the weight of his body, he pressed her up against the wall and licked the soft spot just below her earlobe. "Tell me how much you fucking want me, Rey." He breathed.

Heat pulsed in her stomach, tingling through her entire being, as his tongued traced a wet, torrid line up her neck. "Oh, God, Ben!" She moaned, her whole body trembling. "You're not my dreams, in my thoughts, in my skin." 

Before she could her breath, he claimed her mouth. His lips were a shock to her system, breaking the rhythm and certainty of her beating heart. He tasted of mint, a little bit of booze, and something inherently Ben.

Delicious heat curled through every muscle, fiber, and cell in her body. With one hand splayed across the small of her back, he buried the other in her tangled curls. Rey moaned softly as the heat of his mouth moved easily over her lips.

The assault on her nerves was close to overwhelming , not allowing a single coherent thought to pass through her mind. He might have stolen her breath the first time they kissed, but there and then he was trying to steal her heart. 

With alcohol, lust, and desire reeling through her veins, Rey was dimly aware of them haphazardly stumbling into an empty bedroom. With the back of his foot, Ben kicked the door closed. They embraced each other like a boa constrictor wrapped around it's pray.

Ben groaned each other as their lips briefly tore apart, allowing enough time to unbutton the her blouse, eventually tossing it to the floor. With both of their chests heaving for air---Rey in her bra, skirt, and heels and Ben left only in his pants---they stood face-to-face, staring at each other fir a beat.

The connection caught and ricocheted through them. Never breaking his gaze, Ben bent his head and crushed his mouth to hers again, her lips tasting better than he remembered. His hands roamed over her soft skin as he studied ever inch, reading her flesh like a novel written in braille.

Everything about her was pure deliciousness. He kissed her as though the brief time they had been apart had starved him of all basic human necessities. Rey released a soft whimper as his tongue laved over her ear, down her neck, and across the curve of her collarbone.

That whimper--that lusty little whimper---sent Ben's body and mind into overdrive. He pushed her slightly causing them to fall back onto the king-sized bed.

Poe's familiar face vaguely surfaced in Rey's mind, along with the guilt that washed over her on what she was about to do, but the thought of him swiftly faded when Ben slowly pilled down the scalloped edge of her white laced bra.

Pushing his knee between her legs, coaxing them open, he leaned down and licked the soft swell of her breast. Circling his lips around one taut peak, he sucked it softly. Rey flushed and grew hot as she pressed against his mouth, her body writhing with burning pleasure under his sudden attack.

His tongue skillfully made the burning heat in the pit of her stomach unfurl while each slow, glorious circle and stroke unraveled her body second. Ben pulled her skirt above her waist, his kiss growing frantic as his hands skimmed the smooth flesh between her legs.

Rey moaned as he then yanked her panties down. Her breath caught again as his smoldering brown eyes watched her reaction when he slid not one, not two fingers--but then a third---inside her wet folds. Her back arched against the sensation.

Her eyes never left his as she gasped as she brought her arms up, threading her fingers through his hair, and pulled him back down to her lips. As the kiss grew even deeper, Ben's response was a long, drawn-out groan, only increasing the fervor running through her---through them both.

His mouth was hot and hungry over hers---tongue sliding in and out, tasting her sweetness until he was straining for more. His whole body pulsed with pleasure as her nails bit into his upper shoulders, clawing and digging as she circled her hips against his hand.

Pulling back, his mouth abandoned her lips as he continued to thrust his fingers inside her, her breath mounting faster while his eyes raked over her beautiful face. As Ben stared into her green-and-gold-flecked eyes, a suddenly knot formed in his chest, nearly blocking his ability to breathe.

She was the forbidden fruit, and God knew that he wanted a taste.

He was ready to do anything to have her all to himself. He craved her. He needed her. He was falling in love with her. But he realized as much as he ached for this moment, he couldn't and wouldn't take her while she was drunk. He wouldn't allow himself to have her like this--in a stranger's home.

He wanted her when she was in the right state of mind---and in his bed. He wanted to wake up with her beside him, and he needed to know for sure that the alcohol wasn't making the decision for her.

He suddenly withdrew his fingers from inside her in an attempt to stop, but as soon as he did, she reached for his wrist and pulled his dampened fingers into her mouth--sucking on each one like a lollipop.

The simple act was so deliciously hot, he felt his blood rush through his body even faster. Once again, his lips slammed into hers, stifling moas while he plunged his fingers inside her warmth.

His kissed her harder, groaning when her legs lifted to frame his waist. When Rey released her hold on his hair and ran her fingers down his stomach to unbutton his pants, he knew he had to stop her again. With a tortured, brutal, agonizing restraint, Ben immediately shot up from the bed, his chest heaving.

He walked across the room, dragging his hands through his hair. Lying on the bed in utter shock and trying to catch her breath, Rey, looked at him with the flush of desire still blooming in her cheeks. 

"Ben? What's wrong?" She breathed, her voice a ragged mess. "Are you okay?"

"I-I can't do this, Rey." He said as he plucked his shirt off from the floor and quickly pulled it back over his head. 

Immediately grabbing hers, he tossed it onto the bed, making absolutely sure that he didn't get too close to her again. He knew if he did, there would be no turning back and this wasn't the way he wanted their first time to be; in a drunken stupor.

Cursing at himself, he turned away from her as to hide the horror growing across his face.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck! What the hell am I doing?!_

"Get up and get dressed, now." 

Sitting up, humiliation tore through her and she shrugged back into her blouse. She was panting and confused beyond any rational thought. She thought---she thought this was what he had wanted, what she wanted---turns out, she had made a mistake. A huge one at that.

"I don't understand, Ben. I-I thought this was what you wanted." 

At a complete loss of words, staring down at her beautiful face and still trying to talk his own raging hormones down, Ben swallowed hard and simply shook his head in her direction. 

"Oh my God, I knew this would happen!" Rey whispered, stumbling to her feet, her head still dizzy. "Y-You don't want me! You've never wanted me! I'm just one of your sick, twisted void fillers for the night---just another pawn in the let's-fuck-with-women's-heads game!" 

In two quick strides, Ben was across the room. Taking her chin in his hand, he rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip.

"No, Rey, just listen to me---that's---that's not what I meant at all!" 

She immediately swatted his hand off her face as fresh, hot tears sprung in her eyes. "I can't believe this! I feel like such a damn fool right now!"

"Rey." He whispered. Seeing that she was clearly drunk made him feel less than a man he thought himself to be. "Please, look at me! Please, don't think that I don't want you. What just happened....what just occurred...." He said, pointing to the bed. "That little bit of I had of you only makes me want you so much more---just that little bit puts anyone I've ever been with to shame. I want you more than anything, but I just can't have it happen like this!"

Seemingly unaffected by his declaration, Rey attempted to button up her shirt. "You don't want me, Ben Solo! I-I need to leave, right now!" 

She sniffled, trying to make her way towards the door. Somehow she'd escape without telling her friends, if she needed to she could text them saying she wasn't feeling well and decided to cut out early for night. Surely, they'd be understanding on the whole ordeal, right?

However, Ben caught her by her elbow and spun her around, placing his hands on her hips. She tried to pull away from him, but between his ironclad grip and the amount of alcohol running through her system, her efforts were worthless. 

He leaned down and looked her dead in the eyes and whispered as he brushed the back of his hand across her cheek. "Do you really think it was easy for me to stop, Rey? You have absolutely no idea how much I want to do this with you...to touch you again....to taste you....to feel you beneath me. I told you already.... I want you more than anything, but not here in this house and not while you're drunk. I want it to be meaningful and real."


	11. Chapter 11

A frown marred the space between her brows as she wiped a tear from her face. "Oh, great, just great, here comes the epiphany, huh?! Just go the fuck to hell, Ben Solo!"

She yanked out of his hold, wobbling toward the door. Still trying to assist her, Ben then scooped her up in one graceful movement, like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. Having no choice but to cling to his neck, Rey breathed heavily. "Put....me....down, Ben."

"You can barely walk as it is, Rey." He tells her.

"I can walk just fine! Now, put me the fuck down!"

Ben, however, ignored her protests and carefully pulled open the bedroom door. Upon emerging from the room, the once-empty hallway looked like a certified brothel, with couples making out in every direction Ben turned.

Knowing he had Rey pent up inside that room in a scene like this only sickened his stomach further.

He bolted down the stairs with her. Although she tried to squirm out of his embrace, her efforts were futile. Her head lolled back and he eyes closed with every step he took.

Not even the deafening music pulled her from her drunken stupor. 

Scanning the maddening mess of intoxicated bodies, Ben made eye-contact with Hux, who had Kaydel curled up in his lap on a recliner. Hux's forehead creased when he saw Ben with Rey.

Seeming out if it herself, Kaydel stayed rooted to the chair when Hux stood and walked over towards Ben.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She doesn't feel good." Ben answered. "Go and find Rose and meet me in my car."

Rey gingerly lifted her head from Ben's shoulders. She smiled in Hux's direction. "I feel absolutely fine, Hux, honestly!" She slurred. "But Ben here is an asshole!"

She then closed her eyes, her head plummeting back against Ben's shoulder with her arms dangling to the side. Hux cocked a brow. 

"Don't even ask right now." Ben remarked. "Just do what I said."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm going back to Kaydel's place tonight." Hux beamed, winking. "Go ahead, get Rey into your car, and I'll find Rose and send her out."

Ben gave him a quick nod and wove through the party. A few guys whistled and cheered, yelling that he was going home with "a nice piece of drunken ass". Fighting back the urge to set Rey down and knock them all out, Ben continued to snake his way through the throng of partiers and eventually got out the door.

Rey's eyes fluttered open as Ben attempted to place her on her feet while he opened the passenger-side door.

"I'm not sitting up front with you, Ben Solo." She slurred.

Stumbling away, she grabbed for the rear door and slid across the backseat. Within a split second, she was completely out cold. Shaking his head, Ben moved around the car, got in and started the engine, and pulled to the front of the house.

A few minutes later, with Hux's aid, Rose got into the front seat. After closing the front door, Hux poked his head into the car.

"Make sure you get my two girls home safe. I'll call you tomorrow, man."

Ben carefully nodded---his mind was on other pressing matters, how to get through the crazy-traffic, Rey who was in the backseat passed out, and of course, what he was going to say to Poe the second he saw him.

_Oh fuck me, fifty shades of black and blue! Poe!_

"Love you for this, Hux, and thank you!" Rose blew him a kiss as they drove away. 

She glanced back at Rey, slipped her heels off and propped her feet up on the dashboard. "Our girl is fucking down for the count, huh? I swear, sometimes that girl can't hold her liquor---then again, Poe really doesn't let her drink that much---or at all. In fact, he doesn't let her do a lot of things here lately."

Ben didn't answer or show any signs that he had even heard her. He was too focused on the road at the moment to really think of anything else. Rose looked back at Rey and then flicked her eyes over to Ben---oh shit!

"Oh shit! D-Did something happen between the two of you upstairs?"

Shaking his head, he clenched the steering wheel tighter. "Just do me a favor, Rose. You let her know when she wakes up that I stopped for all the right reasons and nothing more. Can you do that for me, please?"

Having known him long enough, Rose didn't prod any further and remained silent for the rest of the ride. The only time Rey woke was when Ben stopped to pay a toll going back over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

She mumbled something inaudible and quickly fell back asleep.

By the time they arrived at the apartment building, Rose had also dozed off, and Ben had to wake her up.

The sound of car doors closing awoke Rey, and she sat straight up swaying. With her vision blurred, she was slightly able to make out Ben standing next to the car, talking with Rose.

Sliding across the backseat, Rey threw the car door open and all but fell out onto the ground in an attempt to exit the vehicle.

Ben caught her by the arm before her knees kissed the concrete. 

Rey then shot him an icy look and yanked her arm free from him. "Don't fucking touch me, Ben!"

Grabbing her by the waist, Ben pressed her body to his and pinned her against the car, his breathing heavy and his expression granite. Rose's eyes widened at their exchange.

"Go inside, Rose." He said without turning to look at her, his eyes locked on Rey's. "I'll bring her up in a minute."

"Ben, I'm so sorry. This whole thing was my fault. I shouldn't have---"

"Rose, it's not your fault. Look, just go inside." He replied, his voice harder.

Rose cupped her hand over her mouth and walked away. Rey looked at him, a wry smiled tipping her lips. "You sure do love breaking girls hearts, don't you, Solo? It's what your good at apparently. Do they require credentials for things like that or am I just really--"

With his calculating eyes searing into hers. Ben's large hand came around the back of her neck and pulled her onto his mouth. Rey didn't resist. As a matter of fact, she gripped his hair, yanking him harder against her body. Moaning into her mouth, Ben dominated the kiss.

He didn't care about the passing onlookers---hell, he didn't even care if Poe walked up to them in that precise moment. All he cared about was Rey knowing how badly he wanted her.

And as quickly as Ben started that kiss, he ended it. Again, playing the role of a groom carrying his bride, he bent down and scooped Rey up and carried her through the lobby and into the elevator.

As he gently placed her back on her own two feet again, their eyes locked.

It was only a matter of seconds before, they were at it again, both slamming hard into each other's mouths. A power struggle of the fiercest kind followed----hands sliding up and down, Rey's back pressed against the wall.

Ben's hair being pulled and tugged, her legs wrapped around his waist, his growls and her moans.

Ben was fast becoming desperate to rip off her clothes and plant firmly inside her right there in that elevator.

When the doors parted, the battle stopped altogether. Ben raked his hands through his messy hair, mussing it further and Rey adjusted her skirt.

Walking into her apartment, they found Rose already sleeping on the couch. He followed Rey into her bedroom and watched as she climbed into her own bed.

Within a second look in his direction, she rolled over, sighed and passed out cold.

Crossing his arms, Ben leaned against the doorway and just watched her sleep. His eyes took in her chest, rising and falling with sleep.

If not for the front door snapping shut, pulling away his attention from Rey's slumberous body, he would've stayed and watched her all night long.

Ben walked down the all and into the kitchen, where he found Poe tossing his keys onto the counter.

Poe leveled him with a very suspicious stare. "What the hell are you going here, man?"

"The girls went to a house party over in Staten Island, and Rey had a bit of a problem with some asshole here. Rose called Hux and, we went out there to make sure that everything was all right."

Poe's forehead creased. "Wait a second, they were at a house party? So she fucking lied to me! The fucking-little bitch! They were supposed to be going to Cielo."

Ben started to answer the reason for that, but when Poe spoke up again he was seething with a rage unlike any Ben had ever known. No wonder, Rey was scared---he was too and he was just standing in front of the guy.

"And why the fuck didn't anyone tell me about this?! FUCK!"

Not liking Poe's toe nor the way Poe was reducing Rey to the extent of a female dog, Ben angled his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "Well, I guess they decided to go to the party instead at the last second. The last time I checked, women have the right to change their minds, Poe."

He paused then took a step closer towards Poe. It was nice, for a change to see Dameron cowering a little; seeing as Ben stood at least four to five inches taller than him anyway and it was quite intimidating. However, it was his overall persona that left Poe---shaking and trembling where he stood!

"Maybe if ever once in a while, you checked your fucking phone while you were out, you would've seen that Hux tired to call you----multiple times. Why don't you try clearing out your voicemails so someone can actually leave you a message?"

Crossing his arms, Poe remained his stance and cupped his chin, the look in dark eyes were glacial. Ben stared at him for a second, trying his best to quell his adrenaline, his voice eerily calm.

Poe deserved to be beaten to a pulp--he was _no_ boyfriend, not a good one anyways, or at least in Ben's mind---he was a party animal with incapability to keep his dick inside his pants! 

"Like I said, we went out there, made sure everything was okay, and I brought them back here." He then dug for his keys from his back pocket, his eyes never once leaving Poe's. "Be a good boyfriend and have some aspirin and water at her disposal when she wakes up. She's gonna need it."

And without another word, Ben walked out the door. 

**********

The next morning, Ben brewed himself a pot of coffee, hoping that the caffeine buzz would jolt his thoughts away from Rey.

Walking over to a window, he found that the sky besieged by threatening gray clouds and rain plastered against the window hovering over the city. It fit his mood perfectly.

Agitation over his lack of self-control crawled through his system as stealthy recollections of Rey's sweet lips weaved periodically through his mind. The smell of her perfume permeated his pores...and by God, it intoxicated him by the minute.

Though his body still hummed with pleasure from their encounters, his mind was caught in a tangled web of emotions. A knock at the door broke through the heated events rolling around in his head.

Opening it, he found Hux wearing a wide smile on his face. He was in a far better frame of mind and mood than, Ben.

"Damn dude, you look like shit!" Hux said, settling on the couch with his long legs sprawled out in front of him.

Ben poured himself a cup of coffee and perched himself on a bar stool in the kitchen. "I couldn't sleep last night."

"Sorry about that, bro. I, however, slept like a little baby wrapped in Kaydel's arms."

A weak smile tipped Ben's mouth at this confession. "Sounds like it went well between the two of you last night, then?"

"Oh beyond well." He replied, victory heaving in his facial expression. "I actually really dig her. She has this funky, cool personality and top it all off, she's kind of a little freak in the bedroom. I mean, she goes both ways."

With the cock of his brown, Ben just smirked. "You know I use to think Rose went both ways too until I finally saw her with an actual man at my Fourth of July party. Goes to show, we don't know everything."

Hux cringed. "Did you really have to bring kill my buzz, man, by bringing that up?"

Ben just shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. Hux stared at him for several seconds, seeming to read something behind his eyes.

"So....are you going to tell me what's really going on between you and Rey?"

"Nothing's going on between me and Rey." He clipped, his tone suddenly harsher than usual.

"Dude, we've literally known each other for the past fourteen years. I had a feeling something was up with you two, and to be honest, last night only confirmed it,"

Ben got up and sauntered over to the window as he contemplated on what to say. His answer was rather slow and apprehensive. He was so fucked---and he knew it too. God, did he know it.

"I'm in so fucking deep and over my head right now, man." said Ben with a shake of his head.

"Ben, please for the love of all that is holy, please....please don't tell me that you fucked her." 

He immediately turned around and pinned Hux with a tantalizing hard glare, but immediately that vanished too and he shook his head. "No, I didn't fuck her, Hux."

"Well, then what the hell is going on?"

Nibbling at his lip, Ben paced back and forth across the room like a caged animal. He didn't know how to explain what he felt for Rey, even in the simplest of terms. He also didn't know how Hux would percieve him after he confessed his true feelings for her either.

The only thing he knew was that he couldn't make any sense of his emotions, and in that moment, he didn't care. He felt what he felt. End. Of. Story.

"Dude, just come out and say it. I think you'll see that you'll feel a little better once you have."

Ben plowed his hands through his hair and regarded him from across the room. It is what is is---there was no going back, not now, not ever.

Benjamin Organa-Solo, the man who swore off women forever, or at least ones that tried to reach his heart, had all but broken his _own_ rules.

He was in love with Rey Johnson. _Dangerously_ in love.

"I think I'm falling for her---" said Ben now shaking his head back and forth, as he let the truth come tumbling out of his mouth. "--no, no that's definitely not it at all. I'm way past the falling part by now, I think. I'm _in_ love with her, Hux." 

With disapproving eyes, Hux's mouth hung agape. He stood up from the couch and walked over, clasping his old friend on the back and shook his head repeatedly as their eyes met briefly. "You do know that Poe is your best friend, right?"

A frown immediately marred Ben's features after this. _Well, of course I know that, Hux! Does it mean that I care that he's my best friend and that I've still fallen for his girl? No. Call it selfishness, call it pride, call it whatever you want. It still doesn't change anything. I'm still in love with her._

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course, I do! I'm not fucking blind, man!"

"Come on, Ben." said Hux, still leaning against the counter of the island bar. "How did you possibly fall for your best friend's girl?'

"I met her before I even knew that she was dating Poe." He replied through gritted teeth. He padded his way back over to the counter and downed the rest of his coffee in a single gulp. 

"Wait, but I thought the first time you met her was that night we all were at that club."

Ben sighed deeply, placing both his hands on the back of his head and shook. "No, it's--it's a little more complicated than that. I was asked to go to Jakku Enterprise by Snoke; something about us merging accounts. I tried to get her number...."

He paused, his stomach twisting as he remembered the very first time that he ever saw Rey. Even now, the thought of her nearly evaporated the oxygen from his lungs. She was so beautiful in her cute little outfit, then again, he had always thought she looked cute in really anything.

A potato sack could be draped over her body, and she'd still be just as gorgeous.

"....or maybe I tried giving her my number, I can't fucking remember; it was back in June. I went to her job the next day to see her, and then we were properly introduced a few days later."

Hux walked back over to the couch, sinking into it. "Look, dude, I'm going to be brutally honest with you here......"

Ben eyed from across the room, pondering on just what was about to tumble out of his friend's mouth next. Something about the way his facial expression told him, that he wasn't going to take it all too well.

"....he's planning on marrying her---_soon._"

Again, the oxygen, nearly depleted, Ben swallowed and leaned forward against the counter. "He told you that?"

"Well, yeah he told me." said Hux with a slight scoff. "Surely, he'd mentioned it to you?"

"Well, yeah, he has but I didn't think he was really all that serious about it to be perfectly honest." said Ben softly. 

A gut-wrenching ache suddenly run through his stomach as his chest constricted at the very thought seeing Rey standing in a long white wedding gown with his best friend waiting for her at the end of the altar.

Even now he could see the mischievous and sly look on Poe's face; all the lies he'd been keeping from her, the complete unfaithfulness--_all of it._ He gripped his empty coffee mug so hard that the handle actually broke off. 

"Besides....we both know he doesn't really love her. Do you honestly believe that he's stopped fucking around with Mara, because I sure as hell don't!"

"Knowing him and how he is, bro, you're probably right. But to tell you the truth, I don't think about it much and nor should I. What he does is his business and Rey's with him for her own reasons, and as far as I'm concerned, she chooses to see whatever she wants to see. It's as simple as that."

"Well, it's not that simple for me, okay?" he replied, his tone rising. "It's never been simple and it won't be until---"

"Dude it has to be. You need to kill whatever the fuck is going on between the two of you."

"I don't think I can....not now, anyways." Hesitating, he drew in a lungful of air, his voice dropping a notch. "I love her and she's supposed to be with. I wasn't certain before, but after last night---after everything---I can't let her go."

"Dude, this can only end in a disaster! Ben---seriously---you really need to stop and think about what you're doing here. Just think about it. She loves him, too."

"No, she doesn't." He scoffed. "She doesn't love hi, Hux. She's just confused. Look, he may be my best friend, but just like all the rest, he fucks wit her head and drags her into his morphed sense of fucking need!"

"No, you're the one who's fucking with your own head by thinking she doesn't love him, Ben. I mean, just listen to yourself, bro. Take a step back and honestly listen to what you're sayin here!" 

Although Ben didn't speak, his eyes hardened like shards of glass. He almost wanted to take his already broken coffee mug and sling it across the room, but he didn't. In fact, he just sat there taking hit after hit, after hit. There was some truth to Hux's words--this was a bad idea.

Problem was, Ben just didn't care. His mind was set.

"Look, man, I'm just being honest with you here. It's a bad situation. You know it, and I know it." said Hux quickly, hoping his words would make Ben see reason. He was _dead_ wrong.

"Look, I'm not denying it's a bad situation!" Ben said, tossing his hands up, the words cracking like thunder. "Do I look like some kind of asshole?! A snake, a snake, no how many times it sheds it's skin! I'm telling you he's no fucking good for her!"

Blowing out a breath, Hux walked over to the door. He turned around and looked back at Ben. "You're like a brother to me, dude, but, I think you're trying to vilify Poe with your own personal needs here. And to tell you the truth, you're also putting me in a very bad spot. I can already see this shit's going to hit the fan, and I don't want any part of it."

Oh, damn it all to hell. The last thing Ben wanted to do was to put Hux in the middle of all of this. Sitting back down, Ben looked up at him from across the room, defeat weighing heavy like led in his amber eyes. "So what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

"You just need to forget about her. The whole thing's a mistake, and more importantly, you have to remember that Poe's your best friend. He wouldn't want you doing this to him, now would he?"

Ben didn't answer that, which was probably the smartest thing he had done all morning all. Poe wouldn't probably give two-shits if this situation was reversed. He'd just go off and find some random chick to sleep with to ease his pain.

That's how unfeeling and completely dense he was about sensitive things like this. Trevor exhaled heavily and shook his mane of red-hair before walking out of the door.

"I'll call you later, bro. Seriously, though...forget about Rey Johnson." 

**********

This sound advice was so simple, so easy. Just forget about her. The words couldn't be closer to the truth. This might have been a huge mistake, but the man at the receiving end just couldn't see it that way.

He outright refused to---_you stubborn motherfucker, Solo! Why can't you ever fucking do as your fucking told!_

Rey would never be a mistake to him, no matter how many people he hurt in the process---including himself. Everything he and Rey could be, was real for Ben.

When he said she felt she was supposed to be with him, it wasn't just a heated statement. It wasn't just an inclination of any kind.

From the first time their eyes met, he felt it down to the lowest depths of his soul, right down to the bottom of his core. She had been made for him in every possible way.

He _loved_ her. He _wanted_ to be with her and he desperately_ wanted_ her to be with him in return. Even though she was the very definition of off-limits, his mind and heart screamed to throw it all to the wind and let the whole fucking thing burn to the ground.

Therefore, into the sea of uncertainly he would plunge---trying to make her his---and he feared neither friend nor foe could stop him. He just prayed the woman who saturated his thoughts felt the same way.

Rey awoke the following morning as if she had swallowed a handful of nails. Her throat was burning raw reckless images of the night before played through her mind. The thoughts, scattering around like marbles, only made her temples blossom into a full-blown headache.

Guilt for what she had done to Poe and their relationship burned almost as hot as her insatiable arousal for Ben.

With thin and shaky breathing, she lifted her head and peered around the room. Poe wasn't in the bed, to which she let out a sigh of relief when her eyes glanced over to the nightstand. Along with a note explaining that he would be back as soon as he could with breakfast and coffee.

He had also left her two aspirins and a glass of water that she couldn't quite enough. The cool liquid and the magic little pills slid into her stomach, eventually offering up some relief, but not nearly as much as she needed.

Groaning, she stared miserably at the drab light filtering through the window shades. She whipped the blankets back over her head.

She wanted the image of Ben on top of her, kissing, touching, and tasting her to, blur, melt and recede banished to a place she could never find again.

However, the more she rehashed the undeniable pleasured he'd produced in their all-too-short exchange, the more she craved him.

His dominant yet soft kiss, his hard but gentle caresses, the way his fingers---oh God, the way his fingers had tunneled deep inside her--had merely teased her senses with the sweet taste of what he was truly capable of.

Not even the worst hangovers could keep her body from yearning for more. The smell of his cologne in her hair did nothing whatsoever to help ebb any of the thoughts had her loins teetering on the edge of an orgasm right there.

Despite all of this, her head was under attack, barraged by her mother's voice: _Poe's a good man, Rey. Make sure you hold on to him and never let go!_

Clear visualizations played out of all the times that Pore had helped her, even after the car crash. But Rey had all but fallen to her knees before she had gotten word that they both had passed.

Frozen with fear and unable to aid in her parent's last moments, it wasn't her who kept watch over them, it was Poe. There was no limit to the amount of times he had helped her parents out around the house or just whenever they needed an extra in general.

Beyond paying for the hospital bill as well as they funeral expenses, he even allowed Rey to keep what little the life insurance policy provided. 

_And this is how I repay him? By almost getting hot and heavy with his best friend? Oh my God, what have I done?!_

The thoughts forced out hot, helpless tears as she slid from her bed and grudgingly padded into the bathroom. Lingering liquor sloshed around her empty belly. It was then that she realized she was still draped in last night's clothing.

She cringed as she tore it from her body, wanting to burn it in a blazing fire, along with the memory of what'd happened between her and Ben.

To rid her flesh of caked-on makeup and the scent of Ben from her lips, she splashed warm, soapy water onto her face, once again finding her stomach wretched with guilt.

She looked in the mirror with disgust, anger and hate---but in that moment, she decided she wouldn't wallow under her own scrutiny of what she did. She'd been drunk; that was her story, and she was sticking to it.

Her body might want Ben, but in no way, shape, or form did her mind nor her heart. In all his pleasure, she was simply a serpent companion to the sexual demon hidden beneath the surface of her skin.

At least that's what she tried to convince her short-circuited brain on this particular Sunday morning.

Hovering over the sink to allow more water to flow into her cupped hands, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a soft touch against her shoulder.

"Jesus Christ, Poe, you scared the shit out of me!" she said, her voice timid and riddled with an acute underlying panic she was trying desperately to suppress.

_Can he tell? Do I look any different? Oh, God, do I still smell like him? _

He gave her a soft smile, his one low, calming even as he placed the cup of coffee down onto the vanity next to her. "I brought you some coffee. You're shaking, babe." 

"T-Thanks." said Rey hesitantly. 

He then brushed the matted hair away from her face, his eyes never once looking away from hers. "Let's get in the shower, okay?"

Swallowing back the acid steadily building in her throat, she nodded as he slid her panties down, her body quivering in the processed. She stepped out of them and unhooked her bra, her eyes latched onto his.

Grabbing for her hand, he led her to the shower and turned it on. He gestured for her to get in. With unsteady breathing from mounting nerves, she watched him undress. Grabbing for the soap, she hastily ran it across her body in an attempt to get rid of Ben's lingering saliva from her pores.

Stepping into the shower, Poe pressed her back against his chest as he began to massage her shoulders. Drawing in the deepest breaths, she let her head fall back, trying to savor the heat from the water.

"Is Rose awake yet?" She asked, attempting to stir up some conversation.

"I don't think so. Her bedroom door's stilled closed." He said continuing to massage her shoulders. "She must've gotten up from the couch sometime in the middle of the night because that's where she was passed out when I came in last night." 

"What time are we meeting up with your parents?" She reluctantly asked.

"We need to start getting ready as soon we're done in here." He replied and Rey nodded. "So, you were pretty hammered last night, babe."

She reached down for the shampoo and bit down on her bottom lip. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I was."

"So what did you do last night, Rey?" His voice hardened just enough to send a cold shiver up her spine.

Attempting to catch her breath, she turned to face him. "W-What do you mean what did I do? I went to out with my friends."

With his eyes intent on hers, he slowly lifted a hand and brushed his thumb across her chin. "You lied to me, Rey, and you know you did."

Her heart ricocheting in her chest, Rey suddenly shook her head, struggling now against her tears. "I...I didn't like to you about anything, Poe. You knew that I was going out with my friends--we fought about it before I left."

He then took the shampoo, poured some into his hands and began lathering it up. Eyes still locked onto hers, he gathered her hair and started washing it; ridding her of Ben and his scent and she shamefully watched as it went down the drain.

"I ran into Ben last night when I walked in." He told her; his voice slightly icy in nature.

Trying to hide her panic, she knew crossed her features and wanting to drown, choke, gasp, or maybe even right there in that shower, Rey stared back, unable to form a coherent sentence. A knot formed in her throat, threatening to cut off all oxygen.

"He told me that you girls didn't go to Cielo."

Swallowing down said knot, oxygen silently whooshed back into her lungs. "Oh." she said breathlessly." "Um yeah we decided to a party at someone's house that my friend Kaydel knows."

"Right, which means, you lied to me."

"I didn't lie, Poe." she whispered, rinsing the shampoo from her hair, knowing she was harboring a far greater than that this deep inside her. "It was just a last minute change in plans, is all."

Pulling her body against his, he ghosted his mouth down the curve of her jaw. "Okay, so last minute-change of plans that I wasn't even made aware of." He then circled his arms around her waist. "What if I'd gone down to Cielo, Rey? I would've thought something awfully had happened to you."

"You're right." she conceded. It was the least she could do, considering.....well, considering everything. She knew he could've easily made a quick phone call to check in on her, but she wasn't about to push her luck. "I should've called you. I had too much to drink, and honestly, I just didn't even think about it. I'm sorry; next time I'll call."

Appearing satisfied by her answer, he then handed her the soap and turned around, placing his hands on the tile. "Can you wash my back?"

Lathering the soap, she did as he asked. However, she was not expecting the defining blow that would keep her from her friends, mainly Kaydel for the next couple of weeks, or maybe, perhaps for good.

"I'm not sure there will even be a next time---you hanging out with that freak again, I mean."

"But, Poe, she....."

"Look, I'm not arguing on the mood right now to argue with you, Rey. I've never seen you so out of it. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't budge." He tilted his head from side to side and rolled his shoulders. "At one point, I honestly thought you had alcohol poisoning until you finally mumbled something. She's obviously not a good influence on you. End of story. You're not hanging out with her ever again."

At a complete loss for words, she stilled her hands. Turning around Poe gently pulled her head back by her hair and branded his lips to hers. He couldn't see them, but silent tears trickled down her cheeks amid the water flowing over her face.

Today---in these moments and seconds--she wouldn't protest is ridiculous words. She couldn't. It wasn't in her.

She barely had any fight left---not after the self-destructive stunt she'd pulled less than twelve hours ago with his best friend, no less. When Poe began to make love to her, it wasn't just his hands present on her flesh.

The guilt slid over her skin, manifesting inside her like a disease.

Now she would use the last remaining fight she had left to avoid the overwhelming sense of shame threatening to swallow her whole. 

**********

Sitting in an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side, Rey picked up her silverware and regarded, Sarah Dameron, Rey's mother, across the table. Her and her husband had flown in to meet up with their son and his girlfriend for the weekend.

Clearly, something was up, because Sarah and her husband usually never left sunny Los Angeles. 

"Yes, I actually start next week."

"That's fantastic news!" Sarah went on, lacing her fingers together. "I'm just so happy that my little Poe got you the job in Greenwich Village. The business in that area is absolutely wonderful." 

Suddenly, though, Sarah's face morphed into one of displeasures. _Great, what have I done now? I'm getting really sick of this woman's bipolar behavior--one minute she's giving me praise---the next----it's like a broken record!_

"But I have to say, Rey, it horrifies me to think you that you were actually considering a job in Bushwick of all places. It's filth, absolute filth!"

Although the statement didn't quite shock her, nothing really did these days, Rey inwardly cringed, biting back a crude reply. Sarah had been known to strictly surround herself with people who sported cars that cost a small fortune.

With her over-priced black dyed hair (which Rey, thought she could have done it just as well in her own with a store-bought brand), her monthly Botox injections and acrylic nails, Rey wasn't sure if the woman had one original body part left---even her breasts her questionable.

The only thing about the "mannequin" sitting directly in front of her at the table that Rey knew to be real was that she was a certified, uppity, gold-digging snob. Her husband, Kes Dameron who was a doctor wholeheartedly agreed on the matter, which made the situation that much harder to swallow.

They felt Rey was made for more than that---and for anyone who was seeing their son for that matter.

"Now, Sarah, darling, I'm sure that Rey had absolutely no knowledge of the city's demographics when she submitted her resume." Poe's father, replied. Slicking a hand through his brown hair, he leaned back in his seat and gave her a warm smile. "Am I correct or what?"

Rey nodded. "You're correct as usual, Mr. Dameron. I just visited New York's website and applied to anything that was available."

Grabbing for Rey's hand, Poe shot his mother a searing look. "I take full responsibility for not forewarning her about certain areas. She had no idea where to look."

Rey smiled in his direction, squeezing his hand a little tighter than he would have liked. He immediately saw the daggers in her eyes and drooped the subject altogether.

No doubt Rey scold him for it later when they were beyond the safety of his parents and this restaurant. 

"Oh, Poe, honey, for goodness sake, it's just like you to defend her obvious lack of proper research before moving to a new state." She sweetly patted her son's back right about the same time Rey's smile fell from her face. "That's all it would've taken, just a little bit of research to avoid---"

Cutting in, Rey schooled her voice carefully, trying to keep the edge of hostility to a minimum. "In case, you've forgotten, I had a lot going on. It must've slipped my mind the middle of all---oh I don't know---in the wake of my parent's deaths." Rey topped the reply off with a cute little head tilt.

"Well, of course, I didn't forget that." She quickly twittered, flipping her long black hair over her shoulders. "I was just simply saying that---"

"Mother!" Poe said with heavy emphasis. "Drop it."

He put his silverware down and rested his elbows on the table, the look in his black eyes firmly stating for her to zip her lips. With a gasp, Sarah shifted in her seat and adjusted the collar of her tweed Chanel suit, which Rey guessed had probably cost the same as two months of her and Rose's rent.

Sliding his arm around the back of her hair, Kes looked gently at his wife. "Yes, let's drop it for now, shall we, darling?"

Sarah gave a curt nod and reached for her glass of red wine. "Fine."

Over the next half hour, Rey sat mute, truing to stir up some plane to get out of there. Sudden blindness, acute respiratory distress, hell, even cardiac arrest topped her list of imaginary aliments to claim as an excuse to leave. The tension in the air hovered as thick as fog.

The actual mind-numbing, hang-over-induced migraine forging its way through her skull only intensified her need to leave. She was grateful when Poe's father broke the silence, buffering out one of his infamous jokes involving a hooker and chicken.

Poe looked at Rey after the waiter cleared their plates. "Babe, you're having dessert, right?"

She shook her head. On second thought, stuffing another piece of food into her mouth had her seriously thinking she might get out of the nightmare she was already in by heaving all over the table. The idea held a certain amount of appeal. 

"Actually, you know what, I think I will."

While waiting for her tiramisu, Rey glanced at Poe and noticed that he was starting to sweat, nearly all color-draining from his face. If she wasn't mistaken, he looked as bad as she felt. And that was a bad sign. Placing her hand on the side of his cheek, she asked. "Are you all right? You look pale."

He nodded, and with a shaky hand, he plucked a napkin off the table, wiping the perspiration from his brow.

Rey handed him her water, and in a few gulps, he drained the entire glass. She looked over at his parents to gauge their reaction to his sudden freakish demeanor and found both of them smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

_Huh? What the fuck was going on here?_

When her eyes traveled back to Poe again, he was rising from his seat, one hand gliding not so smoothly into the pocket of his pants. For the next few seconds, the sights and sounds played out in slow motion to Rey.

Her heart began to race like a frightened little mouse fleeing it's predator. Poe pulled his chair away from the table.

_Thump...._

Poe then slowly got down on one knee.

_Thump...…thump....._

Poe then produced a small black velvet box before her.

_Thump.....thump.....thump.....flat-line...….beeeeeeeeeeeeeep…….._

Somewhere in the midst of what Rey was witnessing, he fogged brain registered the distant sound of other patrons letting out gleeful gasps as they watcher her boyfriend.

A thick dryness----one that could easily mock the Sahara Desert---plagued her tongue. With blurred vision, she scanned the crowd---most of them holding wide smiles, some pointing in her direction.

One man in the background yelled, "Go for it, buddy!", ending his hoot with a whistle through his fingers. 

Staring down at him kneeling in front of her, interminable anxiety had Rey stuttering most of her words. "Poe....what.....what are you doing?" She whispered.

Pulling a hurried breath, he lifted Rey's hand to his mouth and planted a soft kiss on it, his voice quivering low. "I love you, Rey Johnson." He then cracked open the box, highlighting a princess-cut engagement ring well over three carats in size.

His eyes twinkled with what appeared to be tears. "You make me whole in every way imageable. Would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Still trying to process his proposal and desperately seeking a normal pace of breathing, Rey cupped his cheek, her voice lower than a whisper. "Poe, can we go talk in private, please?"

Almost immediately the smile he was wearing fell from his face, but before he could even answer her, his mother spoke up. Her face contorted as if she were the one who as offended. "Surely, you're going to say yes to my son?" She fretted.

Kes sent his wife a lethal, silencing stare. With no response, Rey bit her lip and looked down at her hands twisting in her lap. Poe slowly rose, offering his mother a scrutinizing glare. He reached down and gently took a hold of Rey's hands.

"Um....okay, babe." His voice was low and cracked slightly. "There's a banquet room we could use."

Rey let out the air in her lungs were holding hostage. With her head downcast in embarrassment, she followed him to the back of the restaurant. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw onlookers straightening their chairs and resuming their meals.

Low whispers descending throughout the restaurant rang loudly in her ears like a high school marching band. Poe closed the door to the vacant room, his unspoken question heavy in their air.

The dejected look in his eyes said everything as he crossed his arms and slowly sauntered over to a window.

Rey's voice was barely above a whisper, but it still carried across the room to were he stood, unmoving. "I just need some time, Poe. That's all."

Without turning in her direction, he exhaled a weighty breath, his voice as low as hers. "I just don't understand it, Rey. We've talked about this quite a few times already. I thought---I thought you loved me."

Rey sobbed, despite all of her resolutions to keep it together. "God, Poe, of course, I love you. I love you more than you could ever imagine."

The words tasted foul in her mouth as haunting thoughts of the night before soured her stomach. The last thing she needed was to think of Ben, but it was no use. He was there lingering in her thoughts. His smile....his eyes...his laugh.

Everything about him added to her already growing confusion. Her theory about her mind not wanting him was blow completely to shreds. Just like that, her heart sank a little more.

"We don't even live together yet, either. I come back and stay at your place once or twice a week, if that. I honestly thought that moving in together would be our first step before marriage."

Poe then faced her. "I wanted you to move in with me when I first moved out here to New York after college, Rey. As I recall, you're the one who didn't want to commit to that."

Ouch, that stung! But where was the lie in it? She had expressed disinterest in living with him beforehand. _Well, that one most definitely falls back on you, Johnson!_

As Rey tried to compose herself, he moved across the room. With a trembling hand, he stroked down the side of her cheek.

"I love you. This is our next step, baby. Please tell me if this has anything to do with whatever happened between your mother and your father. I know they had their differences and whatnot--but I would never do that to you, Rey. I swear to God, I wouldn't."

Rey's vision tunneled back to a memory nearly twenty years old. As much as she denied it, her parent's marriage wasn't exactly all picture-perfect. In fact, one memory she had kept stored away in the back of her mind only proved that theory.

Flashes of her confused five-year-old face looking up to a tall figure--whom even at that young age, Rey knew she loved to pieces--cascaded her mind. Her tiny arms gripping his leg in an attempt to make him stay invaded her thoughts like an unwelcomed guest.

Though she tried--and Lord knows she tried---she couldn't hold on tight enough. He was far too strong for her little body. She could still hear the torturous sound of her mother's cries as he drunkenly cursed each of them with fords her fragile ears shouldn't have heard.

Clinging to a teddy bear, Rey followed, crying out for him, as he stumbled to the front door. It was a sunny day--that's another thing that she remembered.

The sun shone upon him, silhouetting his body like an angel she believed him to be, as he walked away and got into his car. She recalled thinking he would come back.

He didn't, though---at least not until the weeks leading up to his and her mother's car crash, which was a result of his bad drinking habits. No matter how many times she sat with pretend tea and her dolls, awaiting his arrival, he never showed up.

That's all she did--waited for someone who would never return. She knew all about waiting.....

Gone. Vanished like a ghost. The sickening memory brought a fresh set of tears to her already soaked eyes. However, those disturbing memories had nothing to do with her not wanting to rush into marriage.

She was scared. Actually, terrified was more like it. She needed to live with Poe first before making any final decisions.

At least right now, that's the way she felt. Looking back, maybe she should have moved in with him from the very beginning, but she couldn't change the past. Nevertheless, today it came knocking on her door in many wicked forms.

Though she wouldn't allow her guilt for what she had engaged in last night to cloud her into accepting Poe's proposal, surely it had her questioning her moral judgement---drunk or not.

"Trust me, Poe, it doesn't have anything to do with what happened with my father." She whispered, staring up into his eyes. "I just need a few days to think this whole thing through, is all."

Pressing his lips into a hard line, Poe nodded tightly. "All right, I'll give you the time that you need."

"Are you mad at me?" She asked, more tears now spilling down her cheeks.

He shook his head and gently wiped the tears from her face. "No, I'm not mat at you, Rey. Shocked and maybe a little confused, yes, but not mad."

Poe then pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. Her body shook against his as she sobbed a little more. She didn't want to face his parents--particularly his mother--nor did she want to walk back through the restaurant.

Her embarrassment was simply too overwhelming. Somehow feeling her anxiety, Poe handed her a ticket for the valet and walked her to an exit on the side of the building. Stepping into a small alley, she reluctantly back to face him. Holding her gaze, Poe hesitated a moment before heading back to retrieve her purse.

His eyes held a sadness Rey knew she had caused, and his once-confident shoulders hung low. The man she had come to know as a self-assured soul lost something on this particular Sunday afternoon in late August. Her heart sank further than she could've imagined.

The pain-stricken look in his eyes would forever be embedded in her memory. As he closed the door, Rey's palms felt slick with sweat, her eyes were rimmed pink from crying, and her body ached with a deep sadness of it's own.

_A few days....I just need a few days, and then I'll let him know...._..


	12. Chapter 12

The words were simple, the design elegantly understated. Ben's office was completely silent, except for the steady, rhythmic rapping that echoed from him tapping the letter-pressed card on his desk over and over again and again.

He had lost count of the amount of times he'd stop right in the middle of what he was doing throughout the day and glance at it.

_Before us lies the open road....a future filled with timeless love...._

_Please join us as we_

**Rey E. Johnson & Poe A. Dameron**

_Celebrate Our Engagement_

_Saturday, the Twenty-Third of September_

_Two Thousand and Nineteen_

_Six o'clock in the evening_

_The Diamond Room_

_30 West Fifty-Ninth Street_

_Hosted by Sarah and Kes Dameron_

_RSVP 212-981-1275 by September Fifteenth_

The sound of the invitation tapping restlessly against Ben's desk wasn't the only sound on the room. However, unless someone was standing close to him, they wouldn't have heard the others.

Those sounds were the annihilation of his heart and his shallow breathing. Ben wasn't surprised, but it was proof that she was going to go through with it. Ben had heard the news a few days earlier from Hux.

Poe had been thrilled when he'd announced his engagement, his words sucking the hope, along with the air, straight out of Ben's lungs.

During his brief conversations with Poe, Ben had felt like Jekyll and Hyde, considering he had to act happy for them. Knowing his tone had to hold some semblance of excitement, he'd played it off better than he'd expected as he congratulated Poe.

After hanging up, not throwing his phone against the wall had taken ever atom of his self-control. It didn't matter though, the blade was already shoved deep into his heart, mutilating it.

Ben was so confused on the invitation that he almost didn't notice Tim shuffle into his office. Lifting his gaze from the torturous announcement, Ben peered at him.

Tim was aware of what was going on and wore an expression of deep concern. Ben knew what he would say, and for fuck's sake, he didn't want to hear it. 

"It is what it is, man. You need to get her---"

"Shut the fuck up, Tim." He hissed. "You have no idea what's going on in my head right now."

The shock on Tim's face was palpable as his brows dipped low over his green eyes. "Then go after her, Ben. I know you, man. When you want something this badly, you don't just give up. You fight and fight until you absolutely can't fight anymore. It's in the Solo bloodline, so it should be easy enough for you. Besides, I've never known a more stubborn little bastard in my entire life."

Ben almost choked on a bitter laugh, but he briefly pondered on his assistant-almost-a-brother's suggestion. He knew he could barge into Rey's life and try to break down her defenses.

The very thought of holding her captive in his apartment, in his arms, in his bed until she cracked and swore to be his became more appealing with each passing second.

He could tell she was hiding feelings for him, and completely understood her fear of unleashing the out in the open. The risk was certainly huge on both parties.

After they confessed their dire need to be together, the scrutiny they would suffer from others would be hard for them, but he knew they could endure it together. But what was the use of going after her now?

The thought that he might bide his time with her and possibly--no, definitely--fall in love with her only to have her decide she didn't want to be with him seared his heart. He'd be shit-all stupid to even consider it. But, God, he couldn't do anything but close his eyes and think of her.

The surge of helpless to do something consumed him.

"Have you lost you ever fucking mind?! Fight for her?! She's marrying him for Christ's sake! Do you know how stupid you sound right now?!"

"You're asking me, if I've lose my mind?!" Tim questioned incredulously. Taking a seat across from Ben, he tilted head to side. "Brother, not you only have you decided on attending this engagement party, but you've also accepted Poe's request to be one of his groomsmen. Who's the one who's lost his mind here?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to decline?" Ben groaned. "Remember, he's my best friend and I need to act somewhat normal around him." 

Tim shrugged. "Just tell them you're sick or something."

Ben emitted a humorless laugh at this. "Believe me, dude, I just might book a trip out of the country at this point." Rising from his chair, he grabbed his suit jacket and shrugged himself into it. "I need a fucking drink."

"I'm inclined to agree."

"Are you coming or not?" Ben asked, rolling his eyes as he grabbed for his car keys.

"Sure, if I get to pick the place." 

"Pick away." said Ben tossing the keys. "And don't fucking wreck my car while you're at it."

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to a cocktail lounge in the East Village. Ben was impressed with the neighborhood and Tim's choice. A true mecca for artists, musicians, students and writer's, St. Mark's Place was definitely hopping during happy hour.

Ben's goal was pretty simple; become so hammered enough that it would remove the haunting images of Rey from his thoughts. He was pretty damn sure a decent amount of bourbon would aid in the exorcism of her from his mind.

Numb. He wanted to feel absolutely, one hundred perfect fucking numb.

As they exited Ben's vehicle, Tim came to an abrupt stop. "Now, there's something that might drag Rey from your head." He motioned to a woman having car trouble.

Ben studied her demeanor as she ducked out from under the hood of her vehicle. Holding her cell to her ear, she looked stressed and frantic, caramel-colored eyes locked on Ben. Beautiful long hair---the same color eyes---whipped around in the wind, along with her knee-length skirt.

Unsteady in her heels, she tossed her purse strap over her shoulder as she slammed the hood down.

Tim nudged Ben's arm. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go give her a hand."

"She's already on her phone. I'm sure she has someone coming to help her." 

No sooner did Ben finish his sentence than she approached them with tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but do either of you gentlemen have a cell phone I could use? Mine literally just died."

"Yeah, no problem." Ben replied, digging into his pocket and handed her his phone.

"Thank you." She sniffled as she accepted it. "You are a life saver!"

She hastily dialed some numbers and sauntered a few feet away from them, talking franticly to someone on the either end of the line. Ben turned to look at Tim. "Go and get her a tissue or something, I'll wait here with her."

Tim sent him a smirk had him rolling his eyes. As Tim strolled towards the lounge and opened the door, the sounds of a live jazz band spilled out into the busy city streets. The woman eventually made her way back to Ben. 

"Thank you again, I appreciate it. My brother owns a tow company, and he'll be here soon." 

"Not a problem." He said, tucking his cell in his pocket. "Looks like you head gasket's blown."

Once again, she sniffled. She glanced over at her car and back to him again. "You can tell without checking it?"

"There's white smoke coming from the tailpipe. That's usually a pretty good sign that nothing is significantly damaged."

"Oh, are you a mechanic?" 

Ben smiled at her and shook his head. "No, I just have a thing for cars, is all. I sent my brother to get you a few tissues."

She sheepishly smiled back at him, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Thank you, I feel so foolish for crying like this. It's just been a tough few weeks for me."

While he felt bad for her, he really didn't have any idea what to say. So Ben found himself slightly relieved when Tim reemerged. _Thank you, God! _ Handing her the tissue, Tim asked. "Were you able to get a hold of someone?"

She nodded and let Tim know she was just waiting on her ride. Tim looked slyly over in Ben's direction and then back towards the young woman again. Ben hated that look---it usually meant he was up to something, and that certain something was usually never, ever a good sign. _What the fuck are you up to now, Tim?_

"Well, while you're waiting, why don't you come inside and have a drink or two with me and my friend here?" Tim asked, his smirk still aimed in Ben's direction. "Our treat, of course!"

Ben quelled the sudden urge to knock him clear across the street. With mild trepidation crossing her features, the women slowly smiled at both men. "That actually sounds good. I could definitely use a drink or two, that's for sure!"

Opening the door for her, Tim sent Ben yet another wicked smile and added sarcastically. "I know quite a few people who are in desperate need of a drink today."

Ben mouthed "I'm going to fucking kill you" to Tim as he shook his head and followed them into the lounge. The melodious notes of a saxophone player belting out "La Vie en Rose" hummed through the air. Jazz was something Ben couldn't help but some to love over the years. It was a constant entity throughout his childhood since his father was already a huge fan of it.

The barest smile crept over Ben;s mouth when the memory of his parents swaying on their back porch to the exact same song flooded his mind.

With the words fitting what he knew he already felt for Rey, this particular song was one he'd imagined dancing with her--pressed close against his body nestled tightly in his arms where he knew she belonged. 

The illusion he had created of them possibly being together couldn't have been further from reality now if he tried. Like a slow fire burning, the ache he had for her---the need for more than just a few shots of bourbon---curled through his thoughts.

After finding a table next to the dance floor, the woman, who had finally introduced herself as Stephanie, retreated to the restroom to fix her appearance. Promptly ordering three shots of bourbon and a beer, Ben descended into what he hoped would turn into the numbness he so desperately sought.

Within seconds of the waiter delivering the liquid comas, Ben downed two of those shots and glared darkly over at Tim.

"Don't even go there tonight, friend."

Smiling, Tim casually leaned back in his seat. "I didn't even say a word."

"Right, and you don't have to say anything for me to see that you're up to no fucking good here." He replied, his voice holding a heavy warning. "Your fucking face is reeking of it, and I'm seriously in no fucking mood right now. I'm being fucking serious, Tim."

With a proper arch of his brow, Tim chuckled. "So, let me get this straight, you're choosing the road that will inevitably leave you wallowing in your own fucking self-pity?"

"You really have no fucking clue, do you? Like absolutely none whatsoever!"

"No, man, I do. Like you told you earlier, either fight for her or just let her go man. Seriously---it's no fun watching you torturing yourself like this, over a woman especially."

Shaking his head, Ben downed the third shot. "I don't need you schooling me, Tim, and for the record, Rey isn't just_ any_ woman."

"I know you don't little, man. However, you can try to drink Rey away all you want." he noted, giving a leisurely shrug, "or you can at least take advantage of the beautiful damsel in distress wiping the mascara from her pretty eyes right about now inside the room, and get a move on with your life."

"Oh, so you want to me to take advantage of women now, huh? That's just great!" He huffed as he cracked open the lid of his beer with his thumb. "Not only are you annoying the absolute fuck out of me, but you're a damn walking contradiction!"

Tim laughed. "You know perfectly well what I meant, man. Take a chance on something a little more solid than what you're running after right now."

The nonchalant remark hit it's target dead-on, but Stephanie approaching the table saved Tim from being told off any further. She sat across from Ben and smiled. "Sorry, I apologize for taking so long."

"No need." Ben smiled. "So, what can I get you to drink?"

"I'll take an Absolut and cranberry with a twist if lime."

Ben motioned for the waiter and gave him her drink order. Upon closer inspection, Ben found her to be as beautiful as Tim had said.

Her rich auburn hair was glossy despite being slightly mussed, and her light, almond-shaped eyes edged with thick lashes would've normally had him pulling out a line or two---but not tonight.

Unfazed and unaffected, Ben kept the conversation with her to a minimum and focused on his already internal battle over Rey instead. Tim made sure to keep her entertained, though, occasionally throwing a jab of humor directed at Ben.

As the evening wore on, Ben noticed Stephanie staring over in his direction more intently. Wanting to crucify himself for paying her no mind, he ordered another few drinks and tried to focus on her a little.

He learned that she was in school for journalism and would graduate the following May. Along with an older and younger brother, she'd grown up in Lindenhurst, a moderately sized town on Long Island.

She enjoyed the fine arts, music, traveling, good food, family, friends and lazy summer days. Still, with all of the fine attributes she clearly possessed, Ben just couldn't stop comparing her to what he wanted the most, craved the most, and what he unequivocally needed the most.

_Rey...._

No chill ran down his spine whenever Stephanie spoke. Nothing lit up inside of him whenever she laughed. Even the slightest touch she grazed on his arm every so often while she talked did absolutely nothing for him.

Nothing. For this, he felt like a total asshole for even attempting to carry on a simple conversation with because it was very clearly to him that she was interested. And more clear to him that he evidently wasn't.

Nonetheless---whether the alcohol had accomplished its purpose or because he'd finally convinced himself that having Rey in his life was indeed a very bad idea---by the end of the evening, Ben found himself exchanging numbers with Stephanie. 

**********

"Did she really have to come with us, Rey?" Rose asked, her face coiled in disgust.

"Do you think that I actually wanted her here?!" Rey whispered hotly, poking her head out of the bridal changing room. Poe's mother was fanning through endless wedding dresses with one of the consultants near the main front entrance. "She wanted to come, and I wasn't about to argue with her. Besides, she has some kind of dinner benefit at seven o'clock, so she won't be here that much longer. Try to grin and bear it."

Snapping her gum, Rose just rolled her eyes. "The woman's a damn fucking plague, devouring anything in her sights! I've never been able to stand her."

Rey drew in a breath and turned her back to Rose. She studied the Reem Acra wedding dress she was now wearing. Turning from side to side, she then asked. "How does this one look on me, Rose? And please be honest."

Rose twirled a lock of her black hair around her finger. "Do you want my pure honesty or flattery?"

"Come on, Rose." Rey said, now placing her hands on her hips.

"Okay, fine, you look like a damn mermaid cartoon--you know the one from that Disney film?"

Rey shook her head, turning back to look at her complexion in the mirror. _Well, that was brutal. Rose Tico you are fucking unbelievable, you are! I could have worn something so drop dead sexy and your honesty streak would shine through and through wouldn’t it?_

“Well you asked for it, chick, and I choose the honest route.” Rose chirped. As if a lightbulb had gone off in her head, she added. “Oh, and I have a great idea! How’s about you actually pick out your wedding dress, since it’s you know, your wedding? I swear If Plague Bitch comes in here with another fucking dress that she insists you try on, I’m dropping her ass right here in this boutique and beating her ass down!” 

“Rose, can you please calm down?!” 

“No, Rey, I will not calm down! You have my head so fucked right now with this whole wedding thing that I don’t even know whah to think anymore!” 

Pressing her fingers to her temples, Rey closed her eyes. “Well, what do you want me to say here?! Please, I’m all ears!” 

“I want you to tell me again why you’re suddenly rushing into this! It’s still not quite registering in my brain! I’ll be honest though—I give Dingleberry props for hounding you for a decision when he said he’d give you time to think about it! But, really, Rey...November? It’s the first damn week of September already!”

“I already told you, Rose! Poe’s the last grandchild to get married in his family, and the don’t think his grandmothers going to make it past the next six months. She’s pretty sick right now.” Rey replied, motioning for Rose to help unbutton her dress. “His family wants her to see him get married before she passes!” 

Rose rolled her eyes and padded over. “Right, because you should base your impending future on his ancient fossil of a grandmother who might mysterious croak an hour after the fucking wedding! That’s such bullshit!” 

“That’s not the only reason, and you know it! Do you know how long the wait is to have a reception at Waldorf Astoria? Three fucking years, Rose! Poe’s parents have connections there, and there was a cancellation last minute. That was the available date and we took it.”

Rose helped her slide out of the dress. “Well, I’m gonna day two more things to you whether you like or not.”

“As I expected you would, but shoot.” Rey sighed, reaching for an airy chiffon A-like gown she had chosen off the rack.

“One, there would’ve been nothing wrong with waiting three years to get the Waldorf if that’s the time you really needed to think this one through.” 

Rey went to speak but was immediately silenced by Rose smashing her index finger to her lips. She then placed both hands on Rey’s shoulders and stared deeply into her unblinking hazel eyes. 

“I’m talking and you’re listening. And two, you failed to even mention loving Poe as one of your main reasons, friend.” 

Rey held her stare for a moment, turned around, and quietly stoked into the non-mermaid-looking dress, pulling it up over her body. “But you already know that I love him.”

Rose the came behind her and zipped the back of the dress closed. “True, but I also know what happened between you and—“ 

“Don’t!” Rey quickly cut her off, feeling that all-too-familiar pang deep in her stomach. 

Still standing behind her, Rose leaned forward into her ear and whispered. “He’s absolutely miserable, Rey. Hux told me he’s never seen Ben so out of it before.” 

Rey’s heart wrenched at the thought of Ben hurting, bud she couldn’t fall like this—not now and not with him. It wasn’t right. No matter much she sugarcoated it, it was still wrong. 

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Rose.” She whispered, stepping down from the pedestal. 

“Why not? You’re clearly miserable too, Rey. At least Solo admits it—and I can see you are too. Ever since that night, you haven’t been quite the same. You need him.”

“I’m not miserable.” She breathed, trying unzip the dress. “I was drunk, and it was a bad choice on my part. The whole thing was a really bad choice and I have to live with that!”

“Do you need help with that?” Ross asked softly.

Noticeably flustered, she sighed. “Yes, please.”

Rose helped unzip the dress, her voice low. “You know sometimes bad choices can bring us to the right people, Rey. You love him.”

“No, I don’t.” Rey murmured, turning away.

“And so what if you do love him, it’s okay. It’s okay to love someone and be afraid.”

“I’m not in love with him, Rose.”

The response was firm, but Rose Tico was no fool, especially when it came to Rey. She was just afraid to admit what she already knew.

As her nails bit into her palms, those words sent a shiver from the tips of Rey’s toes to the roots of her hair. Ben generated a steady tidal wave of emotions within her that were bigger and far more dangerous than anything she’s ever known.

Confusion, hurt, pain and feeling scared to death of him and herself just skimmed the surface of the storm brewing in her head. It all ran through her mind in those few seconds, but before the torment sank her right there in that room, another one entered.

This particular torment was swathed in a Valentino pantsuit, her silk Hermes scarf swinging with every step she took in her stiletto heels. 

"Donna." Sarah said to the bridal consultant, "I can take it from here."

The middle-aged woman slowly looked over at Rey. "I'm dine, Donna." Rey smiled. "But thank you for your help."

"You're welcome, Miss Johnson. Just let me know if you need anything." She replied and exited the room.

"Oh, Rey, you're really not considering that A-line, are you?" Sarah asked with a low sigh. "It's just so bland. Besides, you have a very petite, hourglass frame fit more for this Elie Saab." 

She held up a gown that Rey believed she would lose her lunch all over. It was at this, Rose let out a melodramatic laugh. "Is this a joke? As her best friend, I wouldn't let be caught dead in that hideous thing---let along walk down the aisle in it. She'll look like a damn cockatoo."

Sarah sent Rose a venomous glare. "You've never really been one to hold your tongue very well, have you, Rose Tico?"

Rose just smiled, but no hint of humor was evident in her voice when she replied. "Shocker."

"Sarah...." Rey reached for the dress. Sarah tore her glare from Rose. "I love Elie Saab, but just not this particular style." Rey then hung the huge mass of feathers back up and reached for the Monique Lhuillier gown that she had tried on earlier. "I think this is the one that I'm going with. I just love the applique lacing and the scoop neck. The lone selves are perfect for a winter wedding, too."

Sara exhaled. "Yes, but that one made your hips look triple their size."

With wide eyes, Rey's mouth hung opened and immediately snapped shut again. _Seriously, and this woman is meant to be my loving, caring, mother-in-law? She's a fucking bitch!_

"Holy shit!" Rose blurted out, her brows snapping down. "Rey, one, you're two tiny to have hips that could ever look wife." She then shot Sarah a murderous look and turned back to Rey once more. "Two, I'm seriously about drop it like it's hot in this joint!" 

She unclipped her earrings and rolled up her sleeves, ready to do battle. Sarah's eyes hardened. 

"No, no, no!" Rey quickly interjected, rushing over towards Rose. "Just calm down, okay? Just take a seat, Rose!" Her eyes pleaded with her best friend. Crossing her arms, Rose slowly sank back down into her chair with a scowl in Sarah's direction. "All right, I'll try it on, but don't you have to leave soon?"

Sarah's eyes flicked down to her watch as she inhaled sharply. "Jesus, I do!" She clipped as she grabbed her purse. "Okay, so you'll try on the Elie Saab, I also showed Donna a trumpet style that would just look fabulous on you! Make sure you have her bring that one in!" 

Nodding, Rey, plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Excellent! I'll call you later, then." Sarah then set off at a brisk pace after she and Rose traded vicious stares.

Rose shot up from her chair the second Sarah exited the room. "Please tell me you're seriously not---"

"Trying that horrible thing on?" Rey interrupted with a laugh. Rose then started to laugh right along with her. "Forget about you not allowing me to be caught dead in it. I wouldn't allow myself to be caught dead in it!"

Rey changed back into her jeans, off-the-shoulder red sweater and black Converse sneakers. She plucked her purse from the chair and made her way to the front desk. She notified Donna that the Monique Lhuillier gown was the one that she really wanted and handed the receptionist Poe's credit card to satisfy the down payment.

After discussing and scheduling appointments for a few fittings, they also arranged for the boutique to take care of the maid of honor dress fitting for Rose. Feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of it all, Rey was more than happy to get out of there.

"I'm fucking starved." Rose said as they rocked out of the boutique and into the cool city are. "You hungry? There's a funk sushi bar not too far from here that serves up some pretty decent rolls. You want to go check it out?"

"Sure, I'm game."

A few city blocks later, they approached the sushi restaurant. Before entering, Rey stopped and started digging in her purse.

With her hand on the door, Rose asked. "What are you doing?" Ignoring her, Rey continued her endeavor. "Hello! Earth to Rey! What are you doing?"

"I have a killer headache from that crazy fiasco! I'm looking for a bottle of Advil I know it have it here somewhere." She replied, her hands working frantically through the mess of credit card receipts, sunglasses, and an overstuffed make-up bag.

With a smile, Rey found it and sighed with relief. She headed towards the main entrance and watched Rose's face morph into noticeable shock.

Rey cocked her head to the side. "What's wrong?" She placed her hand on Rose's shoulder.

"Umm, turn around, Rey."

With furrowed brows, she gave Rose a questioning look and whipped around. _Oh God....no, no, no, no!_

After the air left her lungs, she took in Ben's Audi double-parked in front of the restaurant. Tim was in the driver's seat shaking his head as Ben not-so-gracefully stumbled out of the passenger side. 

"I'll just go and get us a table." Rose said.

"No, wait!" Rey whispered, sweat beading on her forehead even in the crisp air. "Don't you dare leave me here!"

Rose narrowed her black eyes but kept her tone even. "You're going to have to talk to him eventually, Rey." Without a backward glance, she then opened the door and disappeared into the restaurant.

With her heart racing, Rey tried to compose herself as she approached him. "You're fucking drunk." She breathed, noticing the way he was swaying from side to side.

As he took his hand through his unruly shaggy black hair, a grin tipped the corner of his cherry-red lips. "And you're simply fucking exquisite. We have seriously got to stop mysteriously meeting up like this, Miss Johnson."

The drowsy cadence of his liquored voice nearly left her in ashes in the middle of Manhattan. Still trying to regain her bearings, she started up at hi, her breath hitching in the back of her throat.

As disheveled as he looked standing in front of her---his suit jacket off, tie loosened, and sleeves rolled up haphazardly--she had never known a man as breathtaking in every possible way. 

Not just physically either---because Lord she knew she found him to be the sexiest man on the planet---it was way beyond that. His very presence alone manifested itself in a thrum beneath her very skin.

Slow and unsteady, he inched towards her. "You're fucking exquisite....and engaged now." He said softly, reaching for her left hand. He lifted it and studied her glittering diamond ring. Although she wanted to, she didn't pull away from him. Essentially frozen by his touch, she couldn't move.

"Mmm, with as much money as I have, I don't think I would've gotten you something so big and gaudy looking---at least not for a beautiful hand like this. It deserves so much more, so much better than a simple princess-cut. I would've at least aimed for something a little more elegant."

Streams of pedestrians dodged them on the sidewalk as they stood with her hand in his, but neither of seemed to notice. The blaring mixture of car horns, laughter, and music from a nearby curb thrashed and echoed loudly around them, but neither of them heard the noise.

They were simply lost in each other in that moment, and nothing else mattered or existed. Rey then tore her gaze from his, and as quickly as she did, Ben caught her by her chin and lifted it so she was staring directly into his brown eyes.

A soft gasp was the only sound that made its way past her lips.

"After the brief encounter we shared, I never thought Poe would the lucky man slipping a ring onto that pretty finger."

Breathing heavily, Rey swallowed and continued to stare at him. His raw, unrelenting, sexy determination hit her with a force strong enough to rock the earth beneath her. "I--I was drunk that night, Ben." She whispered, not taking her eyes off his. "I--I just needed to get you out of my system."

Still cupping her chin, he slid his thumb slowly across her lips, his tone as low as hers. "Doll, you're going to get me out of your system as much as I am going to get you out of mine. It's impossible."

Before she could even process the meaning behind his words, he bent his head and grazed his mouth against hers, catching her bottom lips between his teeth and sucking on it gently. She pulled back slightly, but her fight would go down in history as mild at best.

Sliding his tongue against her lip, he tightened his hold on her just enough that she couldn't move. Ben let out a long groan and gave her lip one last mind-blowing-tug between his teeth.

Rey might have seen it if her eyes weren't closed, but a reverent smile broke out across his face.

He turned, pivoting gracefully, and walked away, leaving Rey fighting for air. Reaching for the restaurant door, she watched breathlessly as Ben slipped into the passenger side of his car, and before she knew it, he disappeared into traffic.

After the fog of euphoria and the sock pulsating through her system lifted, Rey found herself hazily walking into the restaurant with dampened panties, even more added confusion and a heightened need for quite a few shots of sake. 

**********

Rey convinced herself she was mentally prepared, but she couldn't have been more wrong. As she and Poe greeted their guests the night of their engagement party, she found her head becoming dizzy with immense fear.

Looking down at her watch, a frantic string of emotions raced through her mind, knowing she would very soon face Ben---and this time, hopefully, he was in a more composed state of mind.

The heavy weight of it had her feeling as though her nerves were fraying like a rope, one fiber at time. Her spinning thoughts slowed slightly when she felt Poe's gentle touch brushing against her arm. For tonight, she needed to focus on him--and him only---no matter how hard difficult it would be.

"Are you all right, babe?" He asked, scooping her into a hug. He planted a kiss on her lips and moved her hair away from her shoulders.

"Yes, I'm fine." She answered, sliding her hands down the lapels of his black suit.

"Well, in case you already didn't know, you look beautiful tonight." He crooned. "I just may have you for dessert when this whole thing's over with." 

"I heard that, Dick." Rose's voice broke through the air, one brow drawn up above her dark eyes. "Please do your best to refrain from referencing my best friend as a delectable dessert." 

Poe smirked and pulled Rey closer. "But she's so.....delectable, Rose. I mean, honestly, I just can't get enough."

Rey just shook her head and laughed---at least they were attempting to get along, for her this evening. But Rey had a pretty good idea that Rose wanted to completely roast him alive.

"Okay, I seriously don't need to hear you say how delectable she is." She gave Rey's arm a light tug, releasing her from his hold. "I'd like to speak to my best friend in private for a second, if that's okay with you, Dick."

"She's all yours." He replied, branding one last kiss on Rey's lips.

Reaching for her hand, Rose led her through the knot of guests trickling into the banquet room. Rey smiled and returned their greetings along the way. As the two girls made their way through the party, Rey noticed Poe's parents had spared no expense.

The restaurant was truly beautiful. A mahogany bar was located in the corner of the room besides a massive window overlooking the New York Harbor. Deep red leather couches and matching upholstered wingback chairs were scattered throughout.

Ornate sconces hung on the walls, while an exquisite, dimly lit chandelier anchored the room. Adjacent to a baby grand piano---echoing music through the air--was a crackling fireplace that set the romantic mood for the evening.

After turning a corner of an empty hall, they ducked into a vacant room, and Rose closed the door. Rose placed her hands on Rey's shoulders, her eyes softening with concern. "You know I can tell that you're a nervous wreck tonight, right?"

Rey slanted a hand through her hair, the weakest of smiles taking over her lips. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Maybe not to others, but I know you better than anyone else here." she said softly, reaching now for Rey's hand again. "Is...is he here yet?"

"No. Believe me, when he's here, you'll know." she replied with a nervous laugh. Biting her lip, she paused, her features smoothing. "I know that because all the men will horde him and all the women's panties will drop to the damn ground. I wish my mom and dad were here right now." 

"Oh, Rey, so do I." she whispered, leaning in for a hug. Rey squeezed her tight, her warmth reminding her of they people that she was still mourning. Grief swelled in Rey's chest like a fresh bruise. "But even if they were here, Rey, they'd tell you to go with what your heart wants. They couldn't make you decision any easier. I just need to know something---just like your mom and dad would----is this really what you want?"

With the slightest hesitation, she answered. "Yes, I do want this."

"Okay, then let's go and enjoy your party." Rose grabbed Rey's hand started heading back into the main dining room.

The amount of guests had doubled since their absence----the majority consisting of Poe's family, coworkers, and closest friends. Sure, Rey had met a few of them over the last year, but most were a distant blur of Poe's aunts, uncles, and cousins she had encountered briefly at family gatherings.

Essentially, the amount of people Rey knew in attendance could all fit at one table. In a room filled with people, in that moment, she felt oddly alone--until her eyes locked with Ben's. For Rey, the world seemed to stop.

The music whispered in the background while voices suddenly became muted. Again, the undeniable connection between them was apparent from across the space even if not witnessed by everyone else. It was there---unwavering and unrelenting.

She found it hard to breathe as the overwhelming tidal wave of emotions took hold and pulled her into the current, pounding and roaring with a power greater than hers.

Her eyes swept over him. He was wearing a charcoal-colored suit that covered his built yet graceful frame. Beneath, he wore a white-collared and pinstriped black-and-gray tie. His lustrous black hair was sexily mussed as if he hadn't bothered fixing it after showering.

His impressive presence was that of polished power, economical grace, and unyielding demand. He simply was a force that she couldn't help but notice. Although he had his arm snaked around what Rey believed was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, his eyes were steady and focused on Rey's.

He sent her smile that still managed to disarm her, leaving her in a sea of desire, want, and need, struggling to resurface. 

Clenching Rey's sweaty hand, hazel eyes bright curiosity, Rose leaned over and asked. "I take it he's here then?"

Rey nodded and a lump wedged itself between the walls of her throat as she watched Poe approach Ben, motioning her over. Licking her dry lips, she squeezed Rose's hand, and with trepidation, she slowly started making her way across the room towards them.

God she's so fucking beautiful, Ben thought to himself as he watched Rey close the space between them. Her body swayed with elegant poise beneath an emerald silk evening gown. His eyes followed her sleep legs down to a pair of silver strappy stilettos adorning her feet.

He tried his hardest to keep his eyes from traveling back up to her subtle curves and long, chestnut locks of hair. He fought to push the familiar ache away, but his body continued to respond as she drew nearer.

He felt his pupils dilate as she swept her tongue across her lips, causing his blood to pump with brutal force towards necessary extremities. 

He had a desire for every inch of her---the smell of her sweet breath on his hungry lips, the taste of her tongue, the soft feel of her skin, and the sound of her husky voice whispering in his ears. She was an assault on his very senses, a constant thirst needing to be quenched.

He'd had a taste, but he feared the only thing would have left was his instinct of wanting her more and needing to feel her again and again. With all of this, what captivated him the most were her eyes---those deep pools of alluring green felt as if they were boring into his very soul.

His grip may have tightened around Stephanie's waist, but in his mind, his hands were on Rey.

When Rey and Rose approached, Poe immediately reached for her, positioning her back against his chest. "Babe, this is Ben's date, Stephanie." 

With a smile, Rey pulled in a low and shaky breath. "It's very nice to meet you, Stephanie."

"You, too!" she replied, tucking a few errant strands of her auburn hair behind her ear. Her porcelainlike skin features emphasized her large, whiskey-colored eyes. "And congratulations on your engagement!"

"Thank you." Rey smiled.

Ben's gaze captured Rey's, a smile on his face. "Yes....congratulations."

With his voice so calm, so cool, and so collected, Rey couldn't help but wonder if she was the only ball of nerves standing there. Smiling, she simply nodded her thanks. As soon as she did, her stomach recoiled when she swore she saw a sparkle of amusement in his eyes at her reaction.

"Just an assumption." Ben continued, turning in Rose's direction. "But there must be some sort of relation between you and Rey---somewhere?"

"You idiot, you know we're best friends and I've known you even longer than that!" Rose laughed. "You really are quite the charmer, aren't you, Solo? Always the practically joker!"

"He certainly is." Rey deadpanned, shifting nervously against Poe. A smirk curled the brim of Ben's mouth, but he remained silent.

"I'll keep my own thoughts to myself about that one." Poe clipped with a smirk of his very own. Ben shook his head. "But, for now, I need another drink. Babe, do you want another glass of wine?"

There was only one way she was going to be able to survive the rest of the night---especially with Solo here. Rey then smiled. "I'll take a shot of something strong."

Poe nodded and walked away. Ben flicked Rey another stroke of amusement with his eyes. She could tell he felt her sinking, and all it was doing was pissing her off. Before she could dwell too long on the thought her desire to knock him clear across the head, Hux and Kayel approached.

Rey smiled at them, happy they were working out as a couple. They genuinely enjoyed being together and seemed to be a perfect match of fire and ice.

She guessed Poe would beg to differ, since he'd laughed at the whole courtship when he'd found out about it. Nonetheless, Rey was thrilled, knowing he would have no choice now but to accept Kaydel as her friend. To seal the deal, she'd even gone as far as making Kaydel one of her bridesmaids.

Formal introductions were made between Stephaine and Kaydel before Hux asked if he could steal Rey away for a dance. She happily obliged, placing her hand in the crook of his arm as he guided her out onto the dance floor. With the pianists playing "Summer Wind" by Frank Sinatra, they begun dancing.

Looking up at him in surprise, she said. "I didn't know you liked slow dancing."

He chuckled. "I don't, to tell you the truth. In fact, I actually hate it." Rey then gave him a questioning look upon hearing this, but wasn't able to say much else for he began speaking once more. "I just wanted to talk to about what I said the last time that we spoke."'

Rey immediately knew exactly what he was referring to, the mess between her and Ben. It had come as a bit of a surprise when Hux called to let her know his feelings on the whole situation. He wasn't harsh about the whole matter, but one would consider his approach a less than understanding to say the least.

"Oh." She nodded. "Well, I think you've explained, let me see---it puts you in a bad position. And I completely understand that, but to be honest, nothing more's happening between us, Hux."

His face softened as he lowered his voice to her. "I consider you my adopted sister, and I wanted to apologize for the things I said--well, mostly, the way I said them. I just wanted you to know that, whether or not you and Ben decide to carry on anything, it's certainly none of my business. You're both two grown adults, and it's your lives. Would it be an odd situation for me because I'm friends with Poe? Absolutely! But I would have to learn to deal with it."

Widening her eyes, she tilted her head to the side. "Hux, I'm engaged now, and like I said, nothing more's happening between me and Ben." His devil-may-care sneer lit up his features, showing his amusement at her remark. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

"I may wear glasses, Rey, but I'm not fucking blind, you know."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked, pulling back slightly.

He then gently pulled her closer. "One, I've known Ben since I was a kid, and perseverance going after something he wants has never been an issue for him...ever. And two, even though I haven't known you as long as I know him, I can clearly see it all over your face when you look at him."

She stopped swaying to the music, but Hux kept them moving. "I don't want to talk about this, okay?" She said with a smile, trying to appear unfazed in the crowded room.

"Hey, that's cool with me. I just wanted to put it out there."

"Well, I thank you for your blessings, which are certainly not needed in this case, Dad." He simply laughed. "Now, let's move on to the next subject, okay?"

"Absolutely." He smiled. "So, how do you feel about Poe being gone for a few days in October?"

"He's going away? He never told me that." 

"Well, yeah, we both are. This firm's sending us down to Florida to score an account from some Japanese mogul, Takatsuki Yamamoto." He struggled to pronounce the name correctly.

A frown creased her brows. "Wait a second, Poe told me he'd already landed that account."

"No, not yet." Hux said with a tiny shake of his head. "You must have it confused with another one. We're trying to get it right now---it's not been easy either. That Yamamoto likes to play hardball."

Skimming through her memory, she was almost positive that been Poe's reason for bailing on their date in Central Park. She remembered he'd said that he was in New Jersey. However, with everything that had happened since, she started questioning herself.

The sound of Poe clearing this throat broke through her thoughts.

"May I cut in?" He asked, looking at Hux.

Bowing gracefully, Hux then chuckled. "Got for it, man. I'll catch up with you two in a little bit."

Hux made his way back over to Kaydel, Stephanie and Ben. Rose and Finn had also joined the group. Smiling, Poe curled one hand around Rey's waist.

"Are you having a good time tonight?" He whispered into her hair, his free hand stroking her arm.

"Well, it's a little overwhelming right now, but yes." He then pulled her closer, so their bodies were pressed tightly together as Poe twirled them around on the dance floor with the other couples. "Poe, can I ask you something?"

"As long as it's about what sex positions I plan on putting you in after I slip you out of that dress tonight, sure."

She sighed. "Poe, I'm being serious here---can you at least be for a change?"

Sincerity flashed across his face. "Okay, okay. What's up?"

"Why you'd tell me that you were in New Jersey the morning we were supposed to meet up in Central Park?" Rey asked.

He cocked his head to the side, his hold on her waist only tightening even further. "Because I was in New Jersey. That was weeks ago, babe. Why are you even asking me about this now?" 

"Okay, well, them why are you going to Florida in October? We have a lot of wedding planning to do and I need you here with me."

He then stopped moving altogether, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you answering my question with another question?"

"Because you're not answering any of mine," she replied, without any slight hesitation. He was hiding something, and she didn't like the way he was getting so defensive over something as simple as her asking him a question.

He then dropped his hands down to his side. "Rey, just get to your fucking point here so we can enjoy the goddamn party."

Taken aback, she studied his overall demeanor. "Fine. You told me that you were in New Jersey that morning because some guy from Japan flew out and wanted to meet with you personally, correct?"

"Yeah, Rey, he wanted to meet with me. I met with him and gained his account for the firm. Like I said, get to the fucking point already."

Still shocked at the way he was acting under her scrutiny, she drew in a deep breath. "My fucking point here is, Poe, is that Hux just told me that you two were going away on business in a couple of weeks to meet with the same Japanese gentlemen you claimed to have already landed an account with!"

Rey watched his eyes scan the room as if debating what to say. Waiting for his response, she impatiently crossed her arms. Pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes traveled back to hers.

"Okay, so I lied."

"What?!" She asked breathlessly, feeling bile quickly making its way up in her throat. "So where were you really?!"

Although she tried to pull away, he circled his arms around her and drew her near. "That was the morning...." He hesitated for a second. ".....that I was picking up the engagement ring."

She parted her lips to speak, but he stopped her and continued on with his story, or what she claimed was his story.

"They thought there was a small problem with the set, and I got held up there. I almost fucking lost it, thinking I would have to go somewhere else to get one."

Before she could even question him, his mother floated over, her dark hair twisted into an elegant bun, breaking the two lovebirds apart.

"Poe, Uncle Bruce and your Aunt Mary just arrived. They're both not feeling well with their emphysema. Do me a favor and go over and greet them, darling! They won't be able to stay for long. Anyways, they want to say hello to you and Rey."

With a flick of her wrist, she motioned towards the couple sitting comfortably at a table across the room. Each had their own breathing machines anchored down on the floor next to them. Poe reached for Rey's hand. "Sure, mother, we'll be there in a second."

"Actually, I need to use the restroom right quick." Rey replied, walking way. "Go on ahead without me, and I'll meet you over there in a few minutes."


	13. Chapter 13

Tossing his hand through his hair, Poe looked at her and nodded. As he crossed the room with his mother, Rey sighed. She needed time to clear her racing thoughts. Confusion spun through her mind.

She didn't understand why, even though she had explained that she knew about the upcoming trip, he had continued to lie to her about things.

She understood that he couldn't have actually told her where he was going on that particular morning--especially if he really was indeed purchasing her ring--but here, right now, why not just confess? 

When one of the waiters approached her with much-needed bubbling champagne, she earnestly plucked two glasses off the tray, downed on, and thanked him. With that, she turned in the direction of the terrace only to discover Ben watching her every move.

Ignoring him, she made her way outside. Ben shifted uncomfortably in his chair, trying to drag his eyes away from Rey as she exited the restaurant. She looked like a princess---so beautiful she made his chest ache with the need to touch her.

Even though laughter and conversation between Stephanie, Kaydel and Finn hummed around him, he couldn't resist the urge of somehow finding a way to follow her outside. His chance came when Hux approached the group.

"Anyone need a drink?" Hux asked. "I'm going over to the bar."

"Get me and Finn an Alabama Slammer each" Rose piped up, adjusting the straps of her silver dress. "Actually, get us two each."

Hux nodded at her request. Rising to his feet, Ben smiled. "I need another, and I'll take a wall with you." He then turned to Stephanie. "Did you want something"

"No, I'm okay, but, thank you."

Feeling like the slithering snake he knew he was for leaving Stephanie, Ben surveyed the crowd in an attempt to locate Poe. He found him consumed in a conversation with a few men around his age. Ben figured they were his friends from high-school or college.

As he and Hux approached the bar, it was apparent to Ben---based on the look Hux's eyes--that his friend knew something was up. 

Hux placed the order with the bartender and turned to look at Ben. "You really don't need a drink, do you?"

"No, I don't." Ben stated, his gaze moving over the room of crowded people. "I want to talk to Rey for just a few minutes. Keep and eye on Poe for me, will you?"

The bartender then slid the glasses across the bar towards Hux. "Well, what about Stephanie? Are you really just going to leave her?"

"Tell Rose to keep her busy; she'll be just fine."

Shaking his head, Hux lifted his drink and took a long sip from it. This whole thing was fucking crazy and he was sure that Ben knew that---only he just didn't care. If Poe caught him messing with his fiancé, there was no telling what shit would go down!

"You're really playing with fire here, man."

"Just do what I asked."

Without another word, Ben navigated through the crowd, dashing and darting through the maze of evening gowns and tailored suits. When he emerged on the terrace, he found Rey with her back to him, her chestnut hair whipping around in the cool, late-September evening air.

Unaware of him watching, it was as if her body beckoned him. He tried--God knew he tried--to stay away and he realized he just couldn't. The need to be around her, with her was far too strong at this point.

The past few weeks had been complete and utter hell, and he had attempted to save them both by not going to her job and not showing up at her apartment when he knew Poe wouldn't be there.

However, seeing herm being here with her, sucking in her presence had him feeling as though his mind was possessed. Ever neuron fired into a tempest of sparks, and he couldn't believe his body was able to contain it.

He was amazed that his flesh wasn't cracking him into a million glittering pieces. No matter the situation, right then and there, he knew he needed to go to her.

He stepped forward, and as if she sensed him, she whipped around, a piece of her silken hair catching in her mouth. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice low, shaky even.

He moved toward her, allowing only a few feet to separate them. "I need to speak with you, Rey."

"There's nothing to talk about, Ben." she said, turning her back on him again.

"There's a lot we need to talk about, and you're going to turn around face me while I talk to you, Rey." The rough whisper was breathed out with classic male dominance as he stepped even closer to her.

The sound of his tine caught her attention, her heart slamming to a stop before jump-starting again. She twirled around and stared straight into his eyes.

He was looking at her as if he was trying to read her mind, and she felt naked under his gaze.

He was so sexy, dangerous, and completely confident, it almost sickened her. As arrogant as his demand was, it still managed to suck her into a vortex of spiraling desire. Like a defiant teenager pissed at a parent, she crossed her arms and waited for him to speak.

"Do you feel me when I'm not with you, Rey?"

With shock shimmering in her eyes, she simply laughed nervously. "What kind of stupid question is that, Solo?"

"One I'm clearly asking you." he growled. "Because I can feel you when you're not with me. Now, answer my fucking question."

"We're really back to this again, huh?"

"Yes, I guess we are. Now get those pretty lips to answer the question." He demanded as he stepped closer.

The glass woman beneath her skin smashed under her passion, lust and want. The splinters of herself scattered and recomposed themselves into the man who consumed her every thought--the man who was standing right in front of her.

This was it---her breaking point. She wasn't going to deny him or herself what she felt anymore. Ben brought her to the edge, and there was no looking back.

Her stomach knotted over knowing what she was about to confess, but more so because she knew how much she was about to confess to him.

"You want to hear me say it?!" She hissed.

_Oh, he felt her now._

With blatant intention, he did one thing she knew would get riled up. He slowly dragged his bottom lip between his copper-eyes bore right through hers. "Yes, I want to hear you say it." 

"Fine! I want to fuck you just like you clearly want to fuck me, Ben!" She blurted out in a hard whisper. "I've wanted to fuck you since the moment I first laid eyes on you! I've dreamt about you. I feel you when you're not with me! Hell, if you want to take it up a goddamn notch, I've even masturbated with a clear picture of you in my thoughts! There! Are you fucking happy now?!"

Hell, he couldn't even begin to count the amount of times he'd gotten himself off thinking about her, but that wasn't what was driving him. His expression creased with a mix of shock, anger and hurt from her accusations. 

"No, I'm not fucking happy. You really think this is about me wanting to fuck you?!"

At that, she laughed again. "Oh give me a fucking break, Solo! What else would it be about?! I know I'm naïve when it comes to certain things, but I'm not a fucking dumbass, Ben!"

Something in her eyes and the set of her body filled him with intense heat. The edge of vulnerability in her voice sliced at his chest, and hell, it tore him apart.

But combined with her explosion of defiance and anger, it made the need for her to eat into him like a painful disease. He then stepped forward, bringing his arm around her waist, pinning her close to his hip, as he quickly guided her out of view from the other guests.

They'd gotten lucky thus far, but he knew it was only a matter of time before that all ended.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she huffed, struggling against him, her heels clicking frantically against the concrete surface.

Anger of his own then surged hot and deep inside him as he backed her against a wall on the side of the terrace. He stared at her, his brown eyes brooding in the dimly lit space with an expression so hard that it was granite.

"This has absolutely nothing whatsoever do with me wanting to fuck you!"

"Oh, really, it doesn't?" she breathed, wiping her windblown hair away from her face. "That's fucking rich coming from you, Solo; seeing as you clearly like to fuck anything that walks!”

"No, cause let's not forget that I could've fucked you." Positioning his hand on the wall above her, he pressed his entire body against hers.

She brought her hand up against his chest and tried to push him away, but his strength overpowered hers. Grazing his lips against her ear, he drew the rest of his words out in a low, hot whisper. 

"I could've fucked you over....and over.....and over again, and I could've fucked you well, but I fucking stopped myself that night because that's not the way that I want you!"

With her chest heaving, her heart racing, and panties practically saturated in desire, she looked away from him.

"Then what do you want from me, Ben?!" She asked, his voice an aggravated whisper. 

He caught her by the chin and made her look at him. His eyes that light, wild amber--blazed into hers. "Damn it, Rey, I want you! I want us! You belong with me, not him!" He half snarled the declaration. "Every single part of you was made just for me! Your lips were made to kiss mine, your eyes were made to wake up to me looking at you in my bed every single morning, and your fucking tongue was made to roll my name off it! I am more certain of us than I'm certain I require fucking oxygen to breathe!"

Like a thief in the night, his words nearly stole her very breath. She looked practically on the verge of tears and went to speak, but Ben suddenly brought his hand up and covered her mouth. He gave a quick shake of his head.

At first, she didn't realize what he was doing, and then Poe and Hux's voices cut through their frantic breathing. With widened eyes, Rey's heart quickened as she stared up at Ben.

"Well, where is she?!" Poe asked, his tone filled with anger and concern. "And where the fuck is Ben anyways?!"

A few seconds went by before Hux answered, and as fast as Rey's heart was pounding, she was so sure Poe could hear it. All Poe had to do was round the corner to find her and Ben hiding in the shadows.

"The room was too loud, and Ben had to take a business call. He went upstairs to find somewhere quiet." Hux cleared his throat a few times. "Let's go back in, and I'll have Rose check the restrooms again."

Rey heard Poe let out a heavy breath, and then their footsteps receded. As oxygen refilled her depleted lungs, Ben slowly dragged his hand away from mouth. Other than the distant sound of laughter and conversations, deafening silence descended as they stared at one another.

Rey pushed from the wall and started to walk away, but as soon as she did, Ben called out to her. She came to an abrupt stop but didn't turn to face him this time.

He came up behind her, brushing his hands down her arms, his words muffled into the crook of her neck.

"I'd never ever hurt you, Rey. So _please.._..stop fighting me, stop fighting what you already know. You don't love him.....you're in love with _me._ You're just afraid to allow yourself to believe it--don't be. I feel it, too."

With this touch heady and intoxicating and her heart slamming in her chest, she didn't turn around. She couldn't face him---not even after that beautiful, heart-felt confession that he had just given to her. There was no denying the inevitable, he was in love with her.

On shaky legs, she made her way back into the party, the sudden need for absolute numbness overriding her thoughts. She gave the room once-over to make sure that Poe wasn't anywhere in sight.

As soon as she knew it was clear, she weaved through the guests, her mind racing a mile-a-minute with the fear that Poe could've very easily have caught them.

Her body jerked with a sudden surge of adrenaline when she felt a hand grab her elbow, but the tension in her shoulders deflated when she turned to find it was only Rose.

"Come with me." Rose quickly said, leading her to the front of the restaurant. They stepped outside, and Rose handed her a bottle of aspirin. "Tell Poe that you had a headache, and you sent the valet to bring the car around because you needed to get these from the glove compartment."

"Poe has the valet ticket, not me." Rey hastily whispered.

Rose flashed a smile in her direction. "Don't worry about it. I used to fuck around with them." 

She then motioned toward a lanky valet attendant watching them, With half a smirk, Rey flickered her eyes in his direction and then back to Rose again.

"What?" Rose chirped. "It was very early own in my pre-women days, and he owned me a favor. I already talked to him, and he said that he would back up the story if need be. So you're safe."

Rey nodded. "Okay, this will work, right?"

"Oh, your fiancé." she replied, crinkling her nose. "is definitely pissed off, but yeah, the excuse should work to our advantage."

With that, they walled back into the party, and as soon as they did, Rey's gaze locked onto Ben's. He was coming back in from the terrace, watching her as intently as she watched him. _He loves me! He really, truly, deeply, loves me._

He then strolled over to Stephanie and reached for her hand, and spoke to her for a few minutes. With Stephanie on his arm, he made his way through the crowd, heading straight in Rey's direction.

Rose nudged her arm. "Well, you kind-of-sort-of have to find the humor in all of this, chick."

Rey shot her a cold look. It was far from humorous. It was painful, confusing and draining, but she could tell Rose any of things, Ben and Stephanie approached them. He wore a smile, but Rey could see the pain evident in his eyes.

"It's getting late, so we're going to get going now." He said as he looked over at Rey. "Just tell Poe that I'll talk to him sometime during the week."

Rey nodded, wanting to somehow comfort him. After tonight, felt they both might be going to bed licking both of their wounds--at least she knew he would.

"Sure, I-I'll tell him." She answered, her voice just above a whisper.

"Again, it was really nice to meet you." Stephanie smiled. "Again, congratulations to your and fiancé!" 

"Thank you." Rey replied.

Rose leaned in to give Ben a hug. When she released him, he cast one last weary look toward Rey, and without another word, he and Stephanie walked out of the restaurant. Although it came without alcohol, Rey felt increasingly numb after he left.

Pain and confusion continued to crush in all around her for the remainder of the evening. Rose was correct. Hell, she had always been correct! Poe bought her story of needing a dose of aspirin for a headache, but that didn't make Rey feel any better.

As she carried on conversations, Ben's words echoed through her head, burning a hole in her heart and taking the last piece of something away from her.

Just a few months before, Rey had believed she could see through and peel away some of his many layers.

However, tonight, Benjamin Solo had peeled away hers.

**********

Another barking cough tore through Rey's throat. Her eyes followed Poe as he rounded the taxi after closing her door. Forget the fact that Ben would be there tonight; she felt like complete shit, and her body ached from head to toe.

Ben would only bring on a different kind of pain for her at this point.

She couldn't believe she had allowed Poe to talk her into going, but something in his unrelenting persistence and intolerant tone brooked no argument. Already intoxicated, he haphazardly slid into the backseat next to her and let the driver know their destination.

After digging into his pants for his wallet, he looked at Rey. "Come on, babe. You've got to be feeling better by now."

Between the smell of alcohol on his breath, and the nausea from medication pumping through her system, she was sure she was going to throw up right then and there.

"No, Poe, actually, I don't feel better." She sighed and leaned her head against the window. A crowded bar was the very last place she wanted to be right now. "I don't see what the big deal here is if I didn't come with you."

Shaking his head, he scooted over and draped his arm around her shoulder. "It's Hux's birthday--that's the big deal."

"I already spoke with him earlier and I told him I'm sick and couldn't go. He understood." After another coughing fit, she added. "In fact, he was perfectly fine with it."

"Well, don't forget, I leave for Florida tomorrow morning few a feat days." He pulled her closer, positioning her legs across his lap. "You don't want to hang out with me before I go, do you?"

"You know damn good and well that has nothing to do with it." she replied, coughing. "We could've stayed home tonight and hung out. Plus, why the hell you want to go out tonight when your flight leaves so early in the morning is beyond me."

He leaned into her ear and smooth his hand under her skirt, his fingers making small circles against the lace of her panties. "I can handle an early flight, babe. Let's just hope you can handle me once we get back to my place."

As she attempted to push his hand away, shock crossed her features. "You don't really think you're getting laid tonight, do you?" 

She slid away, amazed he could possibly be thinking about that right now. She was sick, and he knew it.

In one sweeping move, he pulled her arm, yanking her toward him. He anchored one of his legs over hers. "I know I'm getting laid tonight, Rey." He slid his tongue across her neck her as he dipped his hand back under her skirt. "I'll be gone for a few days, I need a little bit to hold me over."

"Get off me, Poe! You're drunk already!" She backed away, trying to ignore the driver staring back at through the rearview mirror. 

To make sure Poe wouldn't come at her again, she let loose a gurgling cough in his direction, hoping the microscopic germs made their way straight into his nostrils. Unfortunately, it didn't stop him from trying to grab her again.

Fortunately, her reprieve from his drunken attempt at taking her right there in the taxi came when his phone started ringing.

Pinning her with a cold look, Poe pulled it from his pocket. Rey slid across the seat, making sure to stuff her coat and purse between them.

Sighing, she tried to ignore his conversation. However, she couldn't ignore the growing anxiety steadily filtering through her veins. After their last encounter, the past several weeks had been nothing short of....difficult.

Though she had plunged headfirst into her new job, apartment hunting with Poe, and planning for the wedding, Ben was in the back of her thoughts like a lingering beautiful shadow---never leaving, never letting go, just there.

She was hurt and confused, and reminders of him were abundant. Certain songs he knew he liked stopped her dead in her tracks when she heard him.

Thoughts of him constantly distracted her from what she was doing. She'd found herself becoming unproductive in a heartbeat when she clouded her mind. She may want Ben, but she knew she shouldn't have such reckless feelings for him, especially since her wedding was less than a month away.

She hated that she felt powerless around Ben. That he'd resurrected feelings that needed to stay buried deep inside.

Her made her want to take risks on him---on them. He made her question things like her upcoming marriage to the only love she'd ever known---the only man who had ever been there for her.

Ben did this to her. She did this to her. Fate did this to her. She didn't know who or what to blame, but the only thing she did know was the whole situation was tearing her apart. Pulling up to a sports bar in Tribeca, she drew in a deep breath and stepped out into the crisp, late October air.

It would be an understatement to say she wasn't looking forward to tonight.

Ben saw Rey the moment she walked in. It was impossible for him not to. Even among the frenzied crowd, she shone brightly, like a blazing star illuminating the dark sky.

The invisible wire tightened around this throat, rendering him nearly breathless. She looked incredible as usual--clad in a black skirt, sexy knee-high boots, and tight green sweater that enhanced every curve God himself had graced upon her.

Ben had never known a woman so beautiful. He'd sunk himself into work the past several weeks, trying his hardest not to think of her.

His intention was to obliterate her completely from his thoughts, but the more he tried, the more she took root in his mind. 

She wasn't supposed to be there tonight---at least, what's what Hux had told him. Now, as he watched her weave through the ocean of bodies, he suddenly felt as though his heart was slamming out of his chest.

His body pulsed with energy, colliding with his desire, want and need for her. The connection and pulled she extracted from her--even from the first time he'd laid eyes on her---still amazed him.

In the seconds before she and Poe approached Ben's voice of reason piped up, telling him to let it go and be done with her.

As much as he wanted to listen, his head was already in overdrive. She was the recipient of all of his pent-up emotions---for she alone stoked all his fires. She was nothing short of agonizing addictive.

Ben's eyes found hers, but she looked away, essentially ignoring his very existence. After shaking hands with Poe, Ben watched as she walked over to Hux.

"You made it!" Hux hooted, leaning into hug Rey. "You're feeling better now, I assume?'

Backing away with a weak smile on her face and cough, she answered. "No, I don't feel better, so you might not want to hug me."

Hux just smiled, and pulled her into his chest despite her warning. She immediately looked up at him, shocked. Was he trying to catch whatever it was she had? The last thing she wanted was for him to get sick and on his birthday of all things too! 

"Hux, I'm serious. I'm as contagious as they fucking come right now!"

He squeezed her tighter and laughed. “Rey, i literally have enough alcohol running through me right now to kill off any fucking germs that you might spread.” 

Managing a laugh, she returned his hug. “All right, all right then, but just remember, you asked for it.” 

He smiled down at her. Now, why couldn’t she have been my sister? My real one is a ducking menace! 

“Happy birthday, big man! So what’s the number tonight? The big three-zero?” 

“Not quite. The ripe young age of twenty-nine!” He answered, snaking his arm around Kaydel’s waist. He flicked his eyes down to her. “And what a year it’s definitely going to be!” 

Kaydel leaned up to kiss him and looked over at Reg. “I’m such a lucky girl!”!

“You are a lucky girl, and he’s a lucky guy, too!! Don’t ever forget that.” Rey smiled “By the way, I love the new color.” 

Kaydel fluffed her slightly-lighter hair over to the side. “Do you? I’m not used to one color af a time here.” 

“I do. It’s becoming you.” Rey looked around the sea of people. “Where are Rose and Finn?” 

Apparently, you’re not the only one sick in Manhattan tonight.” Hux answered. “Finn didn’t feel good, so Rose took him home.” 

Rey nodded and settled in a seat next to Poe. He was ordering a few shots and steadily on his way into a deeper alcohol oblivion. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Hux continued. “I’m going to get my sweat on with my insanely hot lady here!” 

Ray watched Hux and Kaydel disappear onto the dance floor. Over the next half hour, Rey and Ben exchanges nothing more than the occasional apprehensive glance.

She listened to him and Poe talk about baseball. The Yankees had made it to the playoffs, and game three was currently being displayed across several large flat-screen televisions throughout the bar.

Their rival—go figure—was the Baltimore Orioles. Rey has to smile at that reference. 

Unable to numb her anxiety with alcohol because of the medication that she was on, she endured the situation as best as she could—paying no attention to either man.

As she afford a glass of ice water from the bartender, her cell phone lit up in her purse and caught her attention. Pulling it out, she noticed a text from a number she didn’t even know: 

**7:46PM**

**I really must admit. You play the game exceptionally well.**

**BOS **

With furrowed brows, having absolutely no idea who it was, she immediately began texting back to them. 

**7:46PM**

**Who is this? **

**REJ**

After a few seconds, the reply: 

**7:47PM**

**However, your birds have no clue how to play the game. So I guess it all evens out **

**BOS**

Snapping her head up in Ben’s direction, her heart skipped a beat. Though he was perched on the opposite side of Poe, he was directly in Rey’s line of sight.

He was staring at her, his smile wide and uninhibited. She nervously flicked her eyes in Poe’s direction. He was paying mind to her or Ben And was clearly more intoxicated than when they had first arrived.

He was in the midst of conversation regarding the game with another patron as they laughed and shared a few shots. Another incoming text vibrated her phone: 

**7:49PM **

**Take a look at the score, doll**

**BOS**

Nervous, she looked over at Ben again. Smiling, he leaned his chin in the palm of hand and gestured to one of the televisions with his bottle of beer. Averting her eyes to the screen highlighting a Yankees lead by five, she let out the breath she was holding.

She looked back to him and her another smile broke across his face. Rey texted back: 

**7:51PM **

**How the hell did you even get my number, Solo? **

**REJ**

His immediate reply was: 

**7:52PM **

**Just admit to me that your birds don’t have a chance against my Yankees. And perhaps I will release that information to you!**

**BOS**

Coughing, she lifted a brow and looked at him. He smiled and causally shrugged. “The nerve of him.” She mumbled under bed breath as she immediately began texting him back:

**7:52PM**

**I will do no such thing, Solo! **

**REJ**

Her eyes shifted to his once again after she hit the send button. With a perplexed look on his face, he smiled, and she watched him swiftly run his fingers across the screen. He was beginning to like this little texting banter between them.

Maybe I should just do this more often in the future. It obviously getting her attention! 

**7:53PM**

**Then I’m afraid you’re left with your original assumption of my personality. I’m a stalker and you’re my beautiful prey. Boo-hop!**

**BOS**

Shaking her head at the true wise-ass he really was, her curiosity eventually got the better of her. I mean, how could it not? She thought, she continued to stare at him. That smirk said a thousand different words. Each more sexy and more dangerous than the last.

**7:55PM**

**Fine! My birds aren’t exactly playing their best tonight! You happy now, hot-shot?! **

**REJ**

Sighing, she heard Ben let out a full throaty chuckle. Fuck, even he laughs she can feel the dampness in her panties growing!

I guess that's a Solo thing, not only making women's panties drop to the floor but to saturate them from the overall sex appeal they gave off to the lady in question.

As gross as it was for her to think about it, she thought maybe Ben's mother, Leia had once been in her shoes when at first met Han all those years ago.

He replied:

**7:58PM**

**I'll make it simple for you, Rey. Your team S-U-C-K-S. And since you wouldn't admit that your birds have no change against my Yankees, I have the sudden urge to me you beg. Sounds kinky, right? I'll be eagerly waiting for your response**

**BOS**

_Cocky much, Solo? Don't let it get to you hear there!_ Taking another sip of her water, she scoffed. "He's seriously lost his fucking mind!" She watched a superior smile now washing over his youthful face. 

She began to text him back, letting him know that she wouldn't beg for an answer or at least to think or something twice as cocky to say back to him, but before she could do so, he sent another text she could even push the send button:

**8:00PM**

**I've decided seeing as I'm in such a generous mood tonight since my team is whipping some serious ass. Forget about you begging me, which I know you would've. Text back the magic word, and I will relinquish the information you so desire. Here's a clue, it's started with pretty.....**

**BOS**

She just rolled her eyes and texted him back the simple five-lettered word; hoping that it wouldn't stroke his already inflated ego any further.

**8:01PM**

**Please?**

**REJ**

His answering text was just as quick and the tone even through a text was cocky, over-confident an ego booster for sure. _The nerve of this damn guy, I swear, he is fucking relentless and for some strange reason, I love that about him!_

**8:01PM**

**You see? Now was that so hard? Then again, I knew I could get you to bed.....Kaydel.**

**BOS**

Now Rey couldn't help but laugh. Her text was a little more demanding this time around. This little game of flirt-and-text could go on all night for all she cared, at least this way she was actually having fun!

**8:02PM**

**Rey to you, "stalker boy". Yuo stand corrected on the matter here, sir! You didn't get me to beg for anything. I wanted the information!**

**REJ**

Oh, his smile was teetering between led and mischievous when she looked up in his direction. He responded even quicker at this:

**8:02PM**

**You definitely begged, doll, and I'm pretty sure, no, I'm positive that I could get you to be for plenty of other things if just given the proper chance to do so. Plenty! But, to answer your question, Rose gave me your number. I realized we never exchanged them after the party at my parents---I would assume my source doesn't come as quite a shock to you.**

**BOS**

She sighed as she read the text over and over again. Of course, Rose Tico could very easily be counted upon to keep her damn mouth shut. Of course she could be trusted--_not!_

Rey knew she would be exchanging a few heated words with Rose the next time she saw her. She slowly sighed and began texting him back:

**8:05PM**

**I wholeheartedly disagree with you on the begging part. I call it being courteous. Not really sure how to answer your second statement except other than to say you're an arrogant bastard. And for your information, no, I'm not really all that shocked to learn that Rose is your partner in crime. The both of you are certifiably nuts.....**

**REJ**

Becoming consumed in her text session with Ben and the roaring Yankees fans, Rey didn't even notice that Poe had disappeared. However, she couldn't help but notice that Ben staring directly at her with only a bar stool separating them now.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she closed that distance by sliding over into the seat next to her. He propped his elbow on the bar, his smile no less cocky than before when they had been texting back and forth.

"So, says the "arrogant bastard." he began, shifting to face of her. "Are you still going to deny the fact that I made you beg?"

The familiarity of his humor-filled voice sent the very chills down her back. With a smirk, she let out an exasperated breath. "You're relentless, Solo. You do know that, right?"

"Always." He answered evenly. He then took a long pulled from his beer, his gaze never once leaving hers. "I figured it was a good way to break the tension between us and whatnot."

"You have an awfully funny way of breaking tension, Ben."

"And why do you say that, Miss Johnson" Ben then asked.

"Oh, let's see.....oh like trying to get me to admit that I was begging for you." She said as she crossed her legs and then quickly added. "Which, I wasn't,"

"Oh trust me, you begged, doll, but I'll let it go...for now."

Laughing she shook her head at him and considered his sassy remark. "I give up; you win."

He smiled, and for a minute, he let himself down in her, getting lost in the memory of her touch. "In all seriousness, I figured my little texting skit might go over well between us." His eyes shimmered with something akin to an apology behind then. "Or at least I'm hoping it did, at least."

"It did."

Slowly, he slid a bottle-cap over to her and smiled. "Truce?"

Looking down at the smooth-lacquered bar, she picked up the cap and rolled it between her fingers with a weak smile on her lips. In whatever way she could take it, she needed it to be right with him---needed it be right with them.

Rey knew fate wasn't playing fair with either on one of their hearts. Fate had broken all the rules in their case, creating a no-holds-barred wicked game that was demolishing both of their inner beings

. Tugging at her deepest thoughts with strength unlike any other, it was only bringing the strongest of men down to his very knees and had her questioning all of her decisions--but she wouldn't let it destroy either of their lives any further.

Drawing in another deep breath, she met his gaze and nodded.

"Yes, Ben....truce."

As relief soaked through his veins, Ben analyzed her face, hoping to burn the vision of her into his memory. It's felt like forever since he'd seen her last.

"So, how've you been?"

"I've been doing okay. What about you?"

"Yeah, I've been all right." He lied, praying that she couldn't tell. 

She gave him a weak smile that had him second-guessing his own acting abilities.

Now, he fully understood what his parents had meant when they said that he would never make it on Broadway as a struggling actor---he was a already fucking mess, tripping over himself, his words, his whole being when it came to this beautiful young woman.

_You an actor, Solo, you would be a total laughing stock!_

"So, Rose told me that, since Poe's leaving on business tomorrow, that she's your official date to my mother's fund-raiser this weekend." 

"Yes, she is. Finn's going away to his grandparent's home in Texas, so we figured we'd make it a certified ladies' night!"

"Very cool." He smiled and leaned back in his chair. "I'm sure you'll have a great time."

Nodding, she let out a slight cough. "Well, I'm certainly looking forward to it, for sure!"

"You don't sound good." He said, now placing the back of his hand against her forehead. She flinched away slightly the unexpectedness of his touch against her already heated skin, but otherwise smiled. "You actually feel a little feverish."

"You can tell by feeling my forehead, huh?" She said as she brought her hand up to her forehead and started rummaging through her purse, looking for Tylenol. "Now your resume consists of business mogul, nanny and now a doctor, too."

He shrugged. "The nanny part coincides with the doctor part, I guess. You know how many times I've had look after all of my drunken friends at parties? Be the so called "designated-driver" because unlike the rest of them, I normally can handle my alcohol consumption." He took another swig of his beer. "You shouldn't even be out, feeling the way that you do."

She let out a low sigh. "Yeah, I know that I shouldn't be." He then looked over at her questioningly. Popping the medicine into her mouth, she downed the pills with some water. "It's a long story."

Though he had a pretty good idea who'd made her come out tonight, Ben didn't probe. Staring at him, curiosity got the better of Rey as she began to wonder why he was there all alone.

"So, uh, what happened to that girl you brought with you to the engagement party? She seemed so nice."

_She wasn't you, Rey._

"Oh you mean, Stephanie? She moved to the West Coast to be closer to her family." He replied, the lie tumbling from his mouth effortlessly.

In actuality, after that night---it seemed neither Ben nor Stephanie were really feeling that their so called "relationship" was really going to go anywhere special, so they both had equally agreed to just be friends.

However, she hadn't really made any efforts to text or call him since that night and he vice versa for her, so it all worked out the way Ben had originally hoped.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that."

"Nah, it's no biggie."

Hux and Kaydel approached the two of them, both sweat-riddled from all of their dancing. 

"Rey." Kaydel breathed heavily; wiping the back of her neck. "Take a walk with me to the restroom. I need to fix my make-up. I'm pretty sure it's all over the place right about now."

"Sure." Rey said, rising from the bar stool. She looked back over her shoulder at Ben. "Could you keep an eye on my purse for me?"

He nodded, but then Hux yanked it up from the bar stool and slung it over his body. "I'll keep an eye on it for you, Rey. Solo, here might try and steal some freakish keepsake of you for himself before you know he's a damn freak like that!"

They all laughed, and the two women headed towards the restrooms. As Rey weaved through the endless fans celebrating the Yankee's win, she spotted Poe playing a game of pool. He was hanging out with a cluster of men and women across the bat.

She could tell it was taking all of his efforts to remain upright as his body swayed while lining up a shot. A ripple of laughter washed over the crowd when he sank the eight ball.

"So much for spending time with me." She mumbled in a low voice.

Kaydel pulled the restroom door open, and they walked in.

"Look, I don't know Poe all that well, Rey, but I'm assuming that he forced you to come out tonight."

"Well, I could've said no." She replied as she observed her appearance in the mirror in front of her.

Ripping a paper towel from the dispenser, Kaydel doused it with some water and stared wiping her face and arms. The corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. "Right, but you didn't."

Rey shrugged. "I would've felt bad about not coming. I love Hux."

Kaydel tossed the paper towel into the trash and looked over at Rey, her brown eyes twinkling with deep concern. "And Hux loves you, but you really need to find your voice with your man. Put him in his when need be."

Rey studied her for a second, feeling slightly confused by what she meant. "I think I do put him in his place, Kaydel."

Cocking her head to the side, Kaydel placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'm not trying to start anything with you, Rey. I just think you could be a little more tougher with him, is all."

A faint smile tugged at Rey's lips, but she didn't answer. Kaydel then grabbed a hold of her hand and led them back out. Upon their emerging, a large group had gathered just outside the door, making it difficult for them to maneuver through the crowd.

"Shit!" Kaydel said suddenly. "I think I just got my damn period! Go ahead back to the bar with the guys! I'll be right back!" Rey's nodded and tried to make her way through the crowd.


	14. Chapter 14

"It looks like you're stuck here." A man standing next to her yelled over the loud, blaring music. Rey's eyes shifted to his smile, his height intimidating her as he brushed his hand over his buzzed head. "I could carry you up and lift you to where you have to go."

"Umm, no thanks, I'll make it through." Rey sighed as she continued her attempt to squeeze her way through the other patrons.

"I'm Eric." He said, extending his hand while trying to also dodge the masses of people standing around, pushing and shoving their way through the crowd or dancing to the music.

She shook it. "Rey. It's nice to meet you, Eric." 

"Well, Rey, I'm here with a few friends if you want to come to our table and have a drink or two with us. They're right over there." He said, gesturing to a booth a few feet away. "If we make it over there, that is. It doesn't look like we'll be moving to far in all this."

"Oh thanks for the offer, but I'm here my fiancé."

"Getting married? Very nice! So when's the big day? It's not a Halloween wedding, right?"

"Oh no, no, but that would've been a cool idea." She stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to see over the still-lingering crowd. "It's on November twenty-fourth."

"Awesome." He replied. "Can I see your ring?"

Rey thought his request was rather odd, but nonetheless, she figured she might be able to use it to her advantage. "How's about we do a little bartering here, Eric?" She smiled. "I'll let you take a look at my ring if you part this group like the Red Sea so I can get back to my friends."

"It's better than nothing." He quipped, grinning broadly.

Rey then lifted her hand, and held it in his own. With widened eyes, his mouth hung ajar.

"That's a fucking rock if I've ever seen one! Well, congratulations to you and your fiancé! I wish you both---"

"REY!" Poe interrupted, his voice filled with anger. He pinned her with a hard look, and she shivered. Puling her hand away from Eric, she started to speak, but Poe direction his attention towards the other man. "Why the fuck are you grabbing my fiancé's hand?!"

"Poe." Rey nervously blurted out. "He was going to---"

"Just shut the fuck up, Rey." He growled. "Answer my fucking question, man! Why the fuck were you touching her?!"

Eric narrowed his eyes. "Whoa, chill out, buddy! All I asked was of I could see her engagement ring!"

Without another word, Eric's head flew back when Poe punched him square in the nose. His blood spewed on Rey's sweater. With a gasp, Rey's heart tripled over in her chest as she watched Eric's body slump against the wall. Stumbling to his feet, Eric rubbed his nose for a second and started swinging wildly at Poe.

Kaydel walked out from the bathroom, her eyes wide with shock. "Holy fucking shit!"

"POE!" Rey cried out as he lunged towards Eric, tackling his body against the wall with brutal force. "Poe, stop it! POE!"

"I'm going to get Hux and Ben!" Kaydel yelled, pushing her way through the crowd forming a circle around the two men.

Rey wept uncontrollably as she continued to scream out Poe's name, shock tearing through her system while the two men continued their venomous onslaught on each other. As the bloodthirsty patrons watched the fight, roaring like caged animals.

Rey's body was then pushed and pulled in every direction during the hysteria. Within a few seconds, two monster-seized bouncers pushed through the growing crowd, looking as though they were undoubtedly ready to brawl.

With little effort, one bouncer had Poe strung up by his arm, pulling him off Eric, while the other yanked Eric away from Poe. They yelled for everyone to clear out the area or else, they too, would be thrown out. With their warning, the crowd slowly receded back into the bar, still riled up from the madness.

As the crowd thinned, Kaydel, Hux and Ben came into view, both men wearing heated looks, with appearing just as shocked. 

"Oh God, Poe, you're bleeding!" Rey cried out.

Ben looked over at Poe, his tone harsh in nature. "Poe, what the fuck happened?!"

"SHE fucking happened! Get your fucking shit, Rey! We're leaving!"

Something flared in Poe's eyes---something Rey didn't care even question in that moment. She'd never seen him look so dark and fill of vengeance. With her body shaking, she watched one of the bouncers feverishly escort him out of the bar by the elbow.

Still crying, Rey came to a stop, her hand rushing to her mouth as she frantically looked around.

"M-my purse! Who as my purse?"

"I do." Kaydel said, quickly handing it to her.

When they emerged from the bar, Rey found Poe packing back and forth on the parking lot, both of his hands gripping his hair.

"Poe!" Ben yelled out, approaching him. "What the fuck happened in there?!"

Not answering, Poe stalked over towards Rey and pulled her by the arm. She tried backing away, but his ironclad grip was too tight. He grabbed her chin, forcefully yanking it up so that she was staring into his eyes. "You just let some random guy fucking touch you! What are you, Rey? A fucking goddamn whore?!"

All. Ben. Saw. Was. Blood. Red.

The hair on his arms stood on end. With a muscle working in his jaw, hostility bleeding from his shoulders, and the copper-amber of his eyes blazing like hot coals, Ben delivered and connected a sharp, brutal jab to Poe's jaw, snapping his head back.

Poe hit the asphalt with a sickening thud, this body unmoving---completely down for the count. Rey stumbled back from the impact and landed on the ground.

Sliding against tiny pieces of gravel, she felt the bottoms of her palms and wrists rip open. Paying no mind to his unconscious friend, Ben's eyes immediately flew to Rey. His heart clenched in his chest. In one gentle, sweeping motion, he lifted her from the ground and searched her face worriedly.

"Jesus Christ, Rey, please tell me that I didn't accidently hit you!" He ran his fingers across her cheeks, eventually caressing them through her hair. With his body shaking, he stared into her eyes, his voice a low whisper. "God, please tell me that I didn't!"

She swallowed tightly, shock settling through every limb her body. "No, no you didn't hit me, Ben." she choked out, tears steaming down her face now.

For the second time tonight, relief washed through Ben. 

"I'm taking you back to your apartment." He whispered, his hands sliding down her arms.

"I-I can't just leave him here out in the middle of the street, Ben!" She stammered, wiping her eyes.

"You can, and you will." He answered softly. He looked over at Hux. "You'll bring him back to your place tonight, all right?" 

Crouching down next to Poe, with his hand on his pulse, Hix looked up and nodded at Ben. "Yeah, but you're helping me get his big, dumb, drunk ass into my car."

Although it took ever ounce of his self-control not to literally throw Poe into Hux's trunk and sink him somewhere in the Atlantic, Ben reluctantly agreed.

After a very drunk and very-knocked out Poe was tossed onto Hux's car, Ben took Rey home. The entire ride over, his stomach twisted with pain, listening to her cry as she explained to him what happened.

Her expression was vulnerable, and the need for answers swirled in her eyes.

After the entered her and Rose's apartment, Ben had her sit down on the couch as he retrieved a washcloth and some bandages from the bathroom. He filled with bowl with cool water. When he emerged from the kitchen seconds alter, he found her rocking back and forth, cradling her face in her hands.

Heaviness settled in his chest like a brick. The urge to take her into his arms and shield her from the pain she was feeling was almost impossible for him resist.

Sitting down on the floor in front of her, Ben dipped the washcloth into the water and reached for one of her wrists.

She flinched back in noticeable pain as he laid the cool washcloth across her skin. Now he felt anger surge within him, knowing that Poe had caused all of it.

Ben gritted his teeth as he squeezed the excess water from the cloth, noticing its white was tinged pink from her blood. The blood from this beautiful woman was brought on by an asshole---as asshole who didn't deserve her smile, her touch, her warmth or her love. None of it.

Wanting to tell her how much better he could treat her, to see her every need, and take care of her in every way possible, Ben found his voice trapped in yearning, not wanting to upset her any further.

"I-I'm so sorry that I caused this, Ben! I'm so sorry!" She whispered as tears trickled down her cheeks.

With his brows creased and head titled, Ben applied the last bandage. He looked up and tried to understand why she would even say something like that. "You think what happened tonight was your fault?"

"Yes. Poe was right----he's always been right. If I hadn't let that guy touch me tonight, none of this would've happened!"

"Rey...." He paused, bringing his hand up to cup the curve of her jaw. "You listen to me right now, okay? You're not responsible for happened. Do you understand me?"

Sniffling, she adamantly shook her head and stared into is eyes. "No, Ben, I'm responsible. I had no right talking to that gut to begin with!" She sobbed uncontrollably. "You and Poe were friends, and now you won't be after this. I can't believe what I've caused!"

His could see the mixture of confusion on her face, and it only heightened his confusion that much further. _Damn you, Poe!_ He had her under a tighter hold than Ben could've ever imagined.

_Fuck you, Dameron, fuck you! You're lucky I didn't fucking kill you!_

"He makes you think it's your fault, Rey." His words were spoken low but unwavering. "And for your information, I'm not worried about his friendship right now. Hell, I don't think I ever was. Right now, I'm worried about you, Rey---not him."

Shaking her head, she continued to cry, barely managing a breath in between. Ben rose to his feet and settled down on the couch next to her. Placing a pillow on his lap, he gently pulled her down and rested her head against it.

He wasn't surprised she didn't resist him. The woman he'd come to known was broken---torn to pieces by a man who saw through her weaknesses and used them against her ever change that he got.

It could've been seconds, minutes or possibly even hours---Ben didn't know--bit he stroked Rey's hair until she fell asleep.

With bloodshot eyes, Ben watched her chest rise and fall peacefully in his arms. As each one of those seconds, minutes, or possible hours passed, Ben knew--and not for the sake of what he wanted for him and Rey, but for the sake of Rey alone---he needed to get her away from Poe.

**********

The cold, infinite October sky held an unstructured view of a full harvest moon as Rey and Rose stepped out from their building. Pulling in a deep breath, Rey stared at the twinkling stars spreading across the backdrop of towering buildings.

She'd long for this season. The air, although crisp, managed to warm her, reminding her of her hometown of sunny Georgia. Home.

If there was ever a time in her life she felt she needed her parents, it was right now. 

"We look simply amazing, if I may say so myself." Rose trilled, waving a taxi over. "My mother always says the best money spent is money spent on hair, makeup, and nails for an extravagant evening like this."

Before Rey could agree, a sleek black limousine pulled up. The chauffer stepped out, and Rey recalled he'd driven them out to Ben's parent's house in the Hamptons.

"Good evening, Miss Tico." the gray-haired, plump gentleman said to Rose. "Please, forgive my tardiness this evening. The city has quite a few blocks closed down for repairs that I was completely unaware of."

"Hey, Marcus." Rose replied with a smile. "Did that sneaky bastard, Solo, send you?"

"Yes, Miss Tico. Mr. Solo told me to arrive at exact six o'clock sharp for you and Miss Johnson. Again, I do apologize for being a little late."

"Hell, I love surprises. I figured we were hailing a taxi over to the party." Rose turned to Rey, her brow drawn up. "Apparently, Mr. Solo showers the people he desperately wants in only the best.... because he's never sent one before."

Rey just shook her head and slipped into the limousine. After getting themselves comfortable, Rose popped the top off a bottle of champagne, pouring them each a full glass. 

"So has Dinkerbell called you again today?" 

"Dinkerbell?" 

"Yeah, you know like Tinkerbell? Did he call you again?"

"Well, that's a new one." Rey sighed. "And what do you think?"

"Well, I figured he might've gotten to the point already since you haven't really taken any his calls." She shrugged. "And no flowers came to the apartment today, so I assumed he'd finally given up."

Rey knew it wasn't in Poe to just give up on her that easily.

"Right, maybe not straight to the apartment, but he sent them to my new job while I was working."

"Shut up!" Rose let out, her eyes wide. "Ugh, how many did the bastard send this time?"

Rey considered her over the rim of her class. "Let's just sat there were enough for one of my new coworkers to decorate my entire office, and he had an extra dozen left to bring to his girlfriend."

Draining her drink, Rose leaned back, her expressions soft. "Well, I'm very proud of you for not giving in to him. In all honesty, I really, truly do hope that you stick to your guns when he finally gets back from Florida. When I spoke to Hux over the phone earlier, he said all the idiot's neem talking about while they've been down there is how he's so determined to get you back."

Rey looked out the window, her eyes taking in the glittering lights of the city. As she watched them go by, she thought about how much she had felt like a victim of a violent crash---so battered and bruised.

Although she had no broken bones, her heart bled from all the wounds that Poe had inflicted upon her. His words kept running through her head, stinging just as much now when he had first said them to her.

She couldn't deny that she felt guilty for causing the whole situation. She knew she could've prevented what happened. Regardless, she wouldn't cave.

She couldn't. She made sure to send his every call straight to voice-mail. He even went as far as calling her new job where she worked. She ignored those messages as well. However, her biggest surprise was when his mother showed up at her apartment unexpected, unannounced, and quite pissed.

Rey cut the visit short by slamming the door in her face.

"I have to speak with him when he gets back." Rey sighed. "I just can't end it with him without some sort of closure."

"Why not? He doesn't even deserve any of kind closure, Rey."

"I'm not talking about his closure, Rose. I need some closure of my own," Rey tossed back the rest of her champagne and promptly refilled her glass. "No matter how you slice or dice though, he did a lot for me and my family. I know he was wrong for what he did, but he was also very drunk, and that's also something I need to take into consideration." 

Rose glared at her from across the limousine. "You're falling right back into his trap, Rey."

"How am I falling into his trap, Rose? He's not even here right now!"

She started tapping her temple. "Right, he's in that brain of yours like a little fungus. Hux gets hammered and doesn't freak out on Kaydel every time they go out!" Rose leaned over and poured herself a second class of champagne. "I've dated plenty of guys who got smashed, and they didn't pull the shit he pulled with! I'm sure you've had ex-boyfriends who didn't do that either!"

"I didn't really date all that much before, Poe." Rey shrugged. "I really have nothing to compare it to."

Rose's face creased with confusion. "Why would you even need something to compare it to, Rey? End of fucking story--drunk or sober, low or high, mad or happy---a guy's not supposed to place a hand on a woman...EVER!" Taking another sip of her champagne, Rey looked away. "I'm not kidding here, Rey! You may think that what your father did to your mom is the norm, but it's not my friend. It's far from it."

Swallowing hard at the tainted memories, Rey brought her attention back to Rose. She hated admitting that everything Rose was telling her was in fact, true. 

"I suggest you rid yourself of needing closure from that asshole because he's just like your dad! Box up the shit he has at our apartment, and I'll have Hux get your stuff from Douche's place!" Crossing her legs under her red silk gown, she added. "Thank God, you hadn't signed a lease on that apartment you two found."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight." Rey said, her voice teetering between frustration and pleading. "I just want to enjoy one evening without thinking about this whole mess with Poe. Please, Rose?"

"Okay, but I'm back on your ass come tomorrow, then."

Rey sighed, and nodded. "That's fine."

Five minutes later, the limousine pulled to the St. Regis hotel. Marcus opened the door for them, and each slipped out onto the sidewalk, thanking him for the ride. Pulling her shawl over her shoulders, Rey locked arms with Rose, and they made their way onto the lobby.

After checked her coat, they floated onto the expansive ballroom. The fund-raiser was in full swing.

Music from a live band hummed through the air while white-gloved waiters traveled the room with caviar and flutes of champagne. The whimsical space held vaulted, cloud-dappled ceilings highlighting guilt chandeliers.

Soft, pale, pink lights, honoring the color of breast cancer awareness, made the white silk material draping the tables look like cascading waterfalls.

Beautiful pink roses and carnations sprayed up from glittering mounds of hydrangeas in the center of each table.

Thee second Rey made her way into the ballroom, her eyes found Ben's. She also found she had to remind herself how to breathe. A smile broke out across her face as she watched him excuse himself from a group of men.

Not only did Rey focus on him as he strolled across the space, but she noticed the eyes of every woman in the room gravitated to him.

Young, old, tall, short, black, or white--women couldn't hep but true. He looked amazing, wearing an Armani tux tailored to perfection. Sliding his hand through his hair, he crossed the room with a stride that was sexy, powerful and strong.

Rose leaned in to hug him when he approached. "Thank you for sending the limo for us." She paused, a knowing smile teetering her lips. "Well, not for us, but either way, it was a nice gesture."

Shaking her head, Rey bit her lip to hide the rush of embarrassment that dipped in her belly.

"Of course, I sent it for you both." He chuckled, lifting a guilty brow. "I just never thought tp send one before."

"Sure, whatever you say, Solo." Rose replied, her voice holding a playful skepticism. Ben laughed again. He knew she was onto him. "So, where are you parents? I want to say hello!" 

"They're over there." He answered, gesturing to a table in the center of the room.

"Cool, I'll catch up with you two in a bit." With that, Rose skirted through the part toward Han and Leia.

Ben turned to face Rey, his eyes slowly languishing over inch of her body. God, she looked exquisite--a princess among peasants.

It was all he could do to catch a decent breath. A black strapless velvet gown, accentuating her cleavage, flowed to the ground, hugging her subtle curves like a fitted glove. His gaze swept past a diamond choker, ignoring its sparkle, and fixated instead on the startling fullness of her glistening ruby-red lips.

Tiny diamond pins held up her hair, with a few tendrils framing her heart-shaped face. Smoky hues of gray shimmered over her eyelids as her beautiful emerald eyes locked on to his deep brown.

Trying to compose himself, Rey reached for her hand and regally lifted it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it. "Words truly fail to describe the way you look this evening, Rey. You're absolutely stunning." 

"Thank you." She breathed nervously, grasping her clutch. "You look great too."

"Why, thank you." As affectionate smiled lifted his mouth. "Shall we?"

With mild trepidation, she nodded and he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. He led her across her room, pausing briefly to engage in conversation with some of the guests who stopped him.

Along the way, he introduced Rey to a few of the families his mother's foundation had helped over the years. Their smiling faces showed their gratitude.

Among the guests were some of New York's leading breast cancer researchers, organizations, and a few politicians whose families had been affected by the disease. With the subject hitting so close to home, Ret felt awestruck at the generosity Ben and his family had extended to those in need.

Ben pulled out a chair for her.

"Rey, you remember my assistant, Tim, and I don't believe you've met but this is his wife, Phasma."

Nodding, Rey reached across the table and shook their hands. "Oh, I think I remember seeing you at the Fourth of July party, but we were never properly introduced then. It's nice to meet you."

"You, too." Phasma smiled. "Rey, be forewarned that all the males in the Solo family try to take credit for anything they can." Rey quirked a brow in Ben's direction, and he laughed. "But for right now, this woman is about to take credit for teaching her husband how to dance." Phasma rose and reached for Tim's hand. "Aren't I, sweetie?"

"Don't fall on you ass there." Ben yelled out as the couple moved to the dance floor. Tim turned around and flipped the bird in Ben's direction.

"Hmm, you two might not be blood-related, but I am sensing a sort of sibling rival here." said Rey.

"All-about sibling rivalry." He answered, motioning one of the waiters over to their table. "I revel in any chance that I can get to make him look like a clown when it's needed." 

"You're too much." She laughed.

Ben smiled mischievously. "I know, but he honestly deserves it."

Their waiter approached the table with a bottle of expensive bubbly and a towel draped over his arm.

"Would you like a drink?" Ben asked.

Knowing that she and Ben didn't mix well with liquor, Rey figured she would keep the sexual tension between the light. "Actually, I'll just take an ice water."

He creased his brows. "Are you sure?" With an answering smile, she nodded. After ordering himself bourbon on the rocks, Ben leaned back in his chair and looked at her. "I'm very happy to see that you're no longer sick." 

"Thank you. That was a rough few days." 

"I'm sure it was." He replied, knowing they were hard enough for her without being sick. "I stopped by you work to check in on you, and Kaydel said that you had already left."

"I know. I meant to call you back, but it just completely slipped my mind. I'm so sorry about that, Ben." 

"There's no need to apologize. I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right." 

"Well, thank you for checking in on me." She smiled, and placed a napkin over her lap. "I truly appreciate it, Ben. But I'm okay, honestly." 

**********

She may have smiled, but Ben couldn't see a trace of happiness in her eyes. Throughout the evening, he kept their conversation on lighter topics, staying far away from anything to do with Poe.

Ben learned that, although he new job position was supposed to be full-time, it had fallen through, and she was currently only working a part-time as a substitute. Either way, she seemed happy about it.

He ribbed her a little more regarding his Yankees making it into the World Series, promising her that by the end of her lifetime, he'd turn her into a certified fan. She begged to differ, but nonetheless, it made her laugh, and that's all that mattered.

After everyone enjoyed dinner, Ben's parents approached their table. The stately couple's arms were locked together, their faces flushed from dancing and champagne. 

"Rose." Chad said with a roguish grin. "My beautiful wife's given me permission to dance with you."

She lifted an incredulous brow at these words and turned to look over at Lea. "Oh, has she now?"

"Indeed, she has." He noted, reaching for her hand. 

"Are you sure, Leia?" Rose stood up. "I just may steal him away from you for the rest of the night."

"He's very debonair, man." Leia smiled, her chocolate-brown eyes simmering with delight. "He just might sweep you off your feet, kiddo, so I'd be careful." 

Can't say I'd disagree with you on that one." Rose strolled over to him. "Come on, old man. I'll show you how we younglings do it."

Chuckling, Han placed a swift kiss on his wife's cheek and led Rose onto the dance floor. When Leia was finally able to have a free moment to herself, she took Rose's empty seat and engaged in conversation with her son and Rey.

"You simply look beautiful this evening, Rey." said Leia. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"Thank you, Mrs. Solo, so do you. And I am enjoying myself---everything's so spectacular!"

"Tsk-Tsk." She thoughtfully patted Rey's hand. "Remembering, "Mrs. Solo makes me feel so damn old. But I'm happy that you're having a good time."

An affected smile hinted at Rey's mouth. "Thank you, Rey."

"You do look beautiful tonight, Mom." Ben rose from his seat and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I may have to keep an eye on you to make sure no men steal you away from, Dad." 

Looking up at him, she cupped her hand over his and patted him. "You've always been my biggest fan, Ben." She trilled, her joy evident. "But, really, sweetheart, after nearly thirty-five years of marriage, I'm not going anywhere. It's pretty safe to say your father doesn't have to worry about that."

"Your Dad doesn't have to worry about what?" Tim asked, approaching the table with a drink in hand.

"Oh, it's nothing. Ben's just being overprotective...as usual." She laughed, rising to her feet. "So where's Phasma?"

Tim pointed over his shoulder. "She's over in the lobby, calling the babysitter to check in on the kids---God, I hope they are asleep by the time that we get home!"

"Perfect timing then." Leia replied as she locked arms with Tim. "Care to show me those dance moves you were talking about?"

"Certainly." He tossed back the rest of his drink. "I'll try my hardest not to step on your toes."

As Leia was swept away by Tim, it was then that Ben turned to Rey, holding out his hand towards her. "Would you like to dance, Rey?"

Biting her lip, Rey glanced around the ballroom and then back to him again. Was he being serious right now? When he didn't budge, she felt, well, he really must be serious--cause he isn't moving. 

"Dance, huh?" 

"Yes, dance." He clipped, feigning innocence. "I promise that I'll be good---I'll be on extra good behavior." 

"That, I highly doubt, but I'll trust you this one last time." He let out a warm chuckle as she removed the napkin from her lap. Standing, she smiled. "But I must warn you, I'm probably no better than your assistant."

"That's impossible." He said, the grin splitting his face as hearty as ever. "Just wait one second, I'll be right back." 

She nodded and watched as he strode over to the band. He spoke with the lead singer for a few moments and then made his way back to her, a mischievous smile running across his face. 

"Why do you look like you are up to something and by something I mean no good?" She asked, curiosity crossing her facial features.

His dimpled smile widened as he reached for her hand, tucking it into the crook of his arm. "That would be because I am up to something, but trust me, it's good."

"And what would you be up to?" Leading her out to the dance floor, he remained silent, but the smile on his face never flattered. "Ben." She said with a laughed.

"Rey."

"Seriously, what are you up to?"

"You'll see." He waited until the band struck up the chords to his request. "Tell me, do you listen to jazz?" He placed a hand on the small of her back. Lacing his other hand with hers, he tucked it against his chest and drew her to him.

Taken aback by their sudden close proximity, it took her a second to gather her thoughts. "Umm, yes, I have. My grandmother used to listen to it while she cooked for my grandpa. They were so in love---for almost seventy-five years." 

"Mmm, are you familiar with this song?" Ben then asked.

"I don't know the name of the singer." She answered, fighting to ignore how enticing he smelled. "But I do recall remembering how beautiful it was the first time that I heard it."

Looking down at her, Ben couldn't help but notice the nervousness in the way she held onto him as he rocked them in a slow sway. Hos heart swelled. "It's called "La Vie en Rose", and the original singer was a French woman named Edith Piaf, but I favor Louis Armstrong's version."

"It's beautiful." 

"It is. And this is what I was up to." He whispered softly into her ear. 

Trying to catch her breath, she bit her lip as a shiver traveling her length. "Whatever do you mean by that, Ben?" 

"Well, I've pictured us dancing together to this very song."

"You have?" She asked, attempting to hide any hint of shock at his confession. She inwardly laughed at herself, considering the confessions she'd already made to him.

"Yes, I have....so many times I've envisioned it." Voice soft, affection poured from his words. "So, thank you very much for sharing this dance with me." 

"You're welcome." She saw the look in his eyes---the same one that nearly drowned her every single time that he stared at her like that. She averted her gaze over to where his parents were dancing. "It's amazing that they've been together for so long. It's almost impossible to believe a love that strong actually exists." 

Ben studied her face as she continued to watch his parents. Something in her weary tone and distant eyes ached to have something deeper than what she had with Poe.

It was then that Ben knew he needed to wake up in the bed with her lying next to him. He longed to see what shade of green her eyes were when they were still lazy with sleep. He wanted her hair tangled in a mess and draped over his strong arms when he woke up to her smiling at him.

In the coldest of winters of when blankets didn't provide her body with enough warmth, he wanted to be that warmth. Most of all, he just wanted Rey to fall in love with him. It was more than a desire for her body; it was his need for her heart and soul.

If he could just have one night with her, Ben was sure he could convince her that they were made for each other, His warm fingers lazily traveled up her spine coming to rest on the nape of her neck.

"You deserve to be loved like that." He whispered against her hair.

When he pulled back, their lips were close. With the slightest movement from either, they would connect. With his whisper embracing soft and sexual, Rey pulled in a ragged breath and tried to ignore the electricity tingling over her skin.

The combination of his touch and his seductive voice had her body aching with need. Now she was breathing harshly. She felt her breasts rising and falling and noticed his gaze flick over them as she looked away, not saying another word.

Ben stopped moving, and Rey brought her attention back up to his face. His touch was almost unbearable, whispering over her jaw as his gaze penetrated into hers.

"I can still taste you on my lips."

Heart ricocheting through her chest, Rey lost all ability to think and simply drowned in the feeling of his hands tenderly floating down her waist. Unable to speak, she simply looked up into his eyes.

"I miss the way your body feels against mine." Wetting his lips, he clenched her waist tighter. "I miss feeling the way your pulse accelerates when I touch you."

Oh shit, why did she have to get that delicious, knot-twisting feeling in the pit of her stomach? Why not? No other man on this planet could have stopped her heart the way Ben Solo could!

He swallowed, close his eyes, and inhaled her scent, the sweet smell of jasmine intoxicating him. When he opened his eyes again, his voice notched lower, softer even, as his hands framed her face. "I want to take my time with you, brushing my fingers over the spots that he's neglected. He's never loved you the way you needed to be loved, Rey. Let me love every part of you. Your mind...."He trailed his fingers down her neck. "....your body.....your heart....you scars. Your quirks....you habits whether they are good or bad....your thoughts.....all of you. Give me all of it, Rey."

Swallowing hard, Rey's whole body shook. She then backed away, not meeting his eyes, her voice low. "I-I can't do this with you, Ben. We....we can't do this."

He moved towards her, but she stepped away---running, almost.

"J-Just tell Rose that I'll meet her back at the apartment. I-I have to leave!"

She spun on her heel and headed for the table to grab her clutch and her shawl. With shock on his face, Ben watched her scurry through the ballroom, making through the crowd. However, he wasn't about to let her go.

He wasn't about to let her walk out of his life...a second time. Not now. Not ever again. In a few quick strides, he made his way his through the throng and caught her elbow in the lobby. Eyes filled with confusion, he looked at her, his heart pounding.

"Why you running away from me, Rey?!"

"I'm not running from you, Ben!" She whispered frantically, her eyes brimming with hot, prickly tears.

Sighing, he plowed his hand through his hair. "You are running from me, and I want to fucking want to know why, damn it!"

She looked away. She refused to see the pain in his eyes--and refused to feel the pain in her heart. 

"It'll never work out, Ben! You and Poe were friends, and he'd never allow something like this to happen between the two of is and you know it!"

"WHAT?!" He asked in disbelief. "How the hell do you think that he'd ever be able to control anything that happens between you and me?! He doesn't own you---he's not your husband....yet!"

"Trust me, he will." She said as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"To hell he will!" He breathed, stepping closer to her. Before she could even back away, he gripped her waist and wiped the tears from her face. "I don't know much more clear I can make it---you're supposed to be with me, and you know it! You said yourself that you feel me when I'm not with you!"

_Ben--oh, my sweet, sweet, Ben! You just don't get it, do you? You don't! I'm terrified of giving in, terrified of wanting what I want, terrified of loving you!_

Dipping his head, he looked straight into her eyes, his voice low and desperate. "God, Rey, please.....you have to give us a chance! Let me take care of you, let me love you! Give me just tonight--please!"  
  


She waited for the words---the right words---to come to her, but she they didn't. Cupping her hand over her mouth, she stumbled back, feeling Ben's fingertips fall from her waist. A steady stream of tears dripped from her eyes.

She looked at home for a moment while her heart grated to shreds, and without another word, she fled from the lobby.

Watching her slip into a taxi, Ben stayed rooted in her wake, his heart sinking as he tried to process what had just happened. He knew that Poe had a hold on her, but Rey believing that he could actually come between them fucked with Ben's head---and fucked with it bad.

Before he knew it, he was digging in his pocket for his keys and heading out to his car. After texting his family know that he was leaving the party, Ben found himself driving all over the city.

Part of him wanted to drive over to her apartment and push the issue further, but logic told him he had pushed it hard enough. He couldn't say anything more to her, so all he wound up doing was going home.

Upon entering his penthouse, Ben shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket, grabbed a bottle of bourbon, and promptly poured himself a shot. After tossing it back, he ripped the bow tie from his neck, kicked off his shoes, and sat at his kitchen island bar.

He couldn't help but laugh, although inside, he wasn't laughing at all. He was sinking---sinking further into what he needed. Pounding his fists on the counter, he damned himself for not going to her apartment. Remembering Hux's words, Ben knew right then and there that he hadn't fought hard enough.

Standing up, he paced, staring at his phone wile debating what to do. He went to dial Rey's number but stopped himself. Their situation didn't merit a phone call. He need to go to her---and he refused to stop himself this time. 

"FUCK IT!" He yelled as he dug onto his pocket for his car keys.

Swinging open the door, he all but forget his shoes, but it didn't matter---because he was met with the most beautiful hazel eyes staring back at him. 

"Rey?"


	15. Chapter 15

They didn't even say hello. Words were unnecessary at this point. _She was here---she was here!_ They both knew right then that they would speak volumes through their actions before dawn broke.

Spontaneous combustion ignited within their bodies as they lunged forward at the same time---colliding---their mouths sliding over each other. Somewhere in between, the door snapped closed, and Ben's shirt was ripped clean off. 

Cradling the back of her head, Ben's kiss exploded like tracer bullet's against Rey's lips. Before she knew it, he had lifted her off the ground and pressed her back against the wall. Placing her arms above her head, he shackled her wrists in his hand as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

With the hard, rigid set of his body pushing against hers during their heated kiss, Ben's free hand fell to her thigh, sliding her dress up and over her waist.

The air hissed with the sound of her panties being torn clean from her body. In anticipation, her wet, slick center ground hard against the refined material of his pants. As a deep yearning desire began to blaze through Rey, she pulled her wrists from his hold and feverishly unbuckled his belt.

"I-I couldn't get out of the taxi, Ben! God, I couldn't get out!" She moaned against his mouth.

The feeling of want, the feeling of need that they belong together was something she knew she couldn't ignore anymore. She didn't want to ignore it anymore. He was all that she craved, and the only want that she feared was that she wouldn't be able to get enough of him after this.

"Shh, it doesn't matter. I was coming to get you anyway." He growled, sliding his tongue across her jaw. "I wasn't letting you go this time."

Reaching down, Rey slipped her hand below his boxer briefs, skimming over his thick, hard length. She immediately started stroking him, reveling in the feel of his pearly fluid against her thumb circling his tip.

A deep, ragged groan tore from Ben's throat as she stroked up again, releasing his shaft from it's confinements. He lips moved from her mouth to her ear and down her throat, biting and sucking, as she pumped her hand around him.

"I-I need to feel you inside me right now, Ben! Please!"

"I have to go and get a condom." He groaned against her mouth.

"I'm on the pill." She breathed, sweat glistening of her neck.

That was all he needed to hear before he hoisted her higher---only to pull her down onto him. As he pushed up inside her hot, wet warmth, Rey's head snapped back against the wall, unable to believe how incredible he felt. _Fuck, he is huge!_

She let out a forceful breath as she wrapped both her arms around his neck. She arched her back, and he thrust inside her again, completely burying himself to the hilt. Tongue sweeping in and out, Ben groaned when she tightening her legs around his waist, her hands knotting in his mane of black hair.

Although her back chafed against the wall with each of his thrusts, the pleasurable burning of his girth overrode any pain.

Ben pulled back, and they gazed into each other's eyes, drinking up the emotions in the air. Their chests rose and fell in time together with every shallow breath they took. As ripples of pleasure shook through, Rey's body, Ben slammed his mouth over hers, continuing his exploration of her tongue as he carried her into his bedroom.

A small groaned escaped her lips when he placed her on her feet. Rey stood before him, her whole body trembling from head to toe as she tried to catch her breath. Without hesitation, he rid himself of his boxer briefs and socks, his predatory gaze hot and focused on her quivering lips.

Rey's eyes traveled from his beautiful face and moved lower to take in the delicious sight of his taut abdomen, the V leading her straight to the long-awaited answer of here his manhood was. 

"There's not a man on this Earth who doesn't wish that he was me right now." He said, cupping her face while brushing the pad of his thumb over her lips. 

Like, a wild animal stalking its prey, he slowly moved around her, ghosting his lips over her shoulder and sliding his tongue up the side of her neck.

"Your mind and your body will never forget the things that I'm going to do to you tonight. Every.....single.....inch if your body is going to feel me."

Forget about his teasing touch, his seductive words alone had Rey feeling as thought she were about to combust right where she stood. God, if he only knew how sexy he was---how he was unable to unravel her with just a few simple words. 

"Oh my God," She breathed.

"Yes." Ben said with a cocky smile growing across his lips.

He continued to circle and tantalize Rey's body with soft kisses here and there, ultimately stopping directly behind her.

With his breath heated and warm, he kissed her ear. Lashes fluttering closed, she felt pleasure streak through her body with each soft brush of his lips. Ben then slowly unzipped her velvet dress and watched it slowly slip to the ground and pool around her heels. 

"Step out." He whispered into her neck, unclipping the diamond pins holding up her hair.

Her chestnut hair cascaded down her shoulders and tumbled over her breasts. Trying to breathe, she stepped away from her dress as a new heightened level of sexual desire slicked over her skin. Still standing behind her, Ben unhooked her strapless bra with one hand while the other floated around the front of her stomach.

Instantly, she froze. Burring his face into the curve of her neck, Ben gently gripped the back of her high and drew her leg up onto the bed. A low moan escaped from Rey's as he slipped his fingers deep inside her.

Fiery pleasure shot through every nerve ending in her body. Lifting her arms up behind her, she dug her fingers into his hair, clawing and grasping as tight as she could.

Cupping her chin, Ben angled her face to the side just enough to crush his mouth over hers, groaning while his tongue flicked in and out. As one hand worked deeper inside her wetness, she other smooth along the globe of her breasts, rolling her hardened nipple between his fingers.

A hot shiver rippled somewhere deep in the pit of Rey's stomach, tingling though her entire system. Panting, Rey pulled his dampened fingers up to her mouth, sucking and swirling her tongue along them.

Before she took another breath, Ben spun her around and slammed his hips against hers.

"You literally fucking unravel me when you do that." He groaned, his voice harsh, hoarser.

Her racing, she delved her fingers into his hair once more. "Good, not unravel me, Ben Solo!" She moaned, her body hot, riveting with need.

"Oh, believe me, doll. I'm going to." She skimmed his lips over her collarbone. "Now lay that beautiful body down on the bed but keep your high heels on." He commanded.

His words sent shivers straight down the length of her spine. She couldn't do anything but simply comply with what he asked. Cool silk sheets slid against her heated body as she scooted along the massive California-King bed.

In a few strides, he was standing before her, so close she felt the heart and desire emanating from his pores. Rey's heart sped up when she felt his got gaze slide over her naked body, his eyes devouring every exposed inch.

With his amber eyes penetrating her, Ben slowly dropped to his knees and pulled her body to the edge of the bed. He spread her thighs, opened her wide, and arranged her legs over his shoulders until nothing was hidden.

He reveled in the sound of her moaning before making contact with her flesh. Stroking one hand along her stomach, he lifted her foot and kissed her ankle through her stocking.

"Tell me how much you want me to taste you." He whispered, slowly licking up her calf as his finger lightly circled her wet opening.

She was soaked in her desire for him, and it was all he could to control himself.

"Oh my God, Ben, please!" She begged, raising her hips and squeezing her breasts.

Spreading her legs farther, he breathed out one last breath against her pussy before his tongue laved slowly along her clit. Sliding his fingers inside, he licked through the sweet juices easing from her body.

And by God, they were the sweetest juices to ever slide over his tongue. He licked deeper and tunneled his tongue inside her, pulling in her moisture in fear he would never get to experience it again.

Honey...she was pure fucking honey. Ben would give up everything he had acquired to taste her---to smell, feel, and explore every inch of her---so intimately every day for the rest of his life.

"You taste so fucking good, Rey!" He breathed, pushing his fingers deeper inside her.

Rey's breath rasped through the air, her body arching and trembling against his mouth, and it only made Ben hungrier. His dick was hot and hard, every inch of him straining to be inside her.

Every single time that she cried out his named and tugged at his hair, he felt his own body trembled with anticipation he had never known. It was all he could do not to explode without even being insider her.

When he felt he growing close to the edge, he slowed his tongue, brought her back down and bean the whole thin again---and again--until he knew she couldn't take her anymore. When her thighs quaked and shook from waves of climax, he gripped the sides of her hips, yanking her harder against his greedy mouth.

As she cried out his names, be nipped and sucked, and pulled her swollen, velvet-soft flesh between his teeth.

Before she could come back down from the superior heights of ecstasy he brought to her, he licked languorous circles back up her body. Pausing over his stomach, he looked into her eyes, flushed and breathed labored.

"God, you are so fucking beautiful." He groaned, sliding up her body.

He buried his face against of her breasts, and his tongue swirled and sucked its taut peak. He grabbed the back of her knee, hitching her leg around his waist.

Rey's breath caught while he hovered over her, continuing to tease his tongue across the swell over her nipple. Every touch was deliberate, each flick intended to evoke a sudden reaction.

And she reacted just as he wanted her to. Her moans echoed throughout the room, her heavy breathing piercing even her own ears. His tongue---swirling around her breast, gently nipping here and there---caused her body to lurch toward his devilish mouth.

Rey couldn't take in enough air when he finally sank himself inside her. Ribbons of flames licked and thrummed their way through her core. Every thick, long, hard ridge of him felt magical.

For no man---not even Poe---made her body feel the way Ben did. For a beat, they drowned themselves in the moment as they gazed into each other's eyes, unnamed emotions swirling into the air.

It was then that Rey felt Ben's claim on her---unspoken and silent. She had lost her body; now it was defined solely by his. Groaning, Ben pushed himself even deeper, and Rey breathe out, pulling his mouth down hers.

He lid his tongue in and out, burying his hands in her hair as their breathing quickened from the sensations spilling through them.

"You like the way you taste on my tongue, don't you?" He asked, his breathing rough and ragged.

She panted, her nails biting into his back as she kissed him even harder. "Y-Yes, I do!"

"Your body was made just for mine." He slid his tongue down her jaw, his hands cradling the back of her head. "Every fucking inch of you was made for me, Rey!"

Kissing her, Ben stroked his hands through her hair as Rey dug her head into the pillow, raising her hips to meet his hard thrusts. Their bodies moved together as if they were ideal components made for each other, both writhing under their suffused heat and need.

Even though every inch of him was clad with muscle, his embrace was soft and gentle. He did nothing too hard or too fast.

His patient, measured movements showed control while he took his time soaking in the moment, worshiping every square inch of Rey's body. As their breaths mingled and danced, their mouths played over each other, their hands whispering across each other's bodies.

Quickening his pace, Ben's cupped her breast, filling his hands with her softness, while his ears cherished every moan that left her lips.

Ben dipped his lips to the hollow base of her neck. "You're my greatest weakness, Rey." He groaned, sliding his tongue against neck. "Such a beautiful weakness!"

Thrust her fingers into his hair, Rey pulled him into her mouth as he buried himself deeper inside her warmth. Ben felt her climax coming as she gripped his biceps, digging her nails into his tender flesh while her slick pussy tightened around him like a vise.

Bringing his arm under her back, he pulled her tight against his chest as his fingers knotted her hair.

"Cum for me, Rey! Fucking cum for me, cum around my cock!" He groaned, sweeping his tongue through her mouth.

His muscles quivered from holding off his own. As soon as he felt her body start to fall apart under his, he finally let himself go with her. Their bodies entwined in sheer orgasmic delight as they shook, jerked, and trembled in each other's arms.

Sweat against sweat and soul against soul, they soared and fell together, each wondering of they'd ever be able to come down from their high.

When their breathing and bodies slowed, Ben stared longing into her eyes. He gently moved her hair away from her face, still awed she was there beneath him. He took his time passionately kissing her, hos tongue giving him thanks to her mouth, her neck and her shoulders.

As she looked up at him, Rey's hands slowly worshipped him back, her fingers soothing through his sweaty damp hair, caressing down his chiseled face, and ultimately tracing his mouth.

Ben had never felt so connected to someone in all his life. Holding her in his arms completed him, feeling her made him whole, and he knew he needed to let her know that.

"I love you, Rey." He whispered softly over her lips. "I think I've loved you from the second I laid my eyes on you." He pulled back his head slightly, and Rey went to speak, he placed a finger over her lips. "I don't expect you to say it back. I just need you to know that this--all of this wasn't just sex for me. I am _so_ in love with you."

"Ben...."

He placed another soft kiss along her jaw. "I want it all, Rey. I want to spend my nights holding hands with you. I want the all-day texting. I want the laughing and forehead kisses." He softly ran his lips over her forehead. "I want the date nights, the movie watching, and the breakfast making!"

He dragged his hands through her thick hair, his teeth tugging gently at her swollen bottom lip.

"I want the late-night-drives, the sunset watching, the screaming, the yelling and the crying." Still kissing her, he smiled against his mouth. "And I know that I'll definitely want the make-up sex that comes after all of the screaming and crying. I want all the good, the bad and the in-between. I want you and me. I want _us._ I love you and I want you to be in love with me, just me. All of it is what's going to make us so amazing together."

Although she found it hard to swallow, she didn't take long to reply because there was no second-guessing in her mind. Rey knew clear to the depths of her soul---through ever fiber of being---that she loved him and wanted all of those things, too.

His touch, the emotions bleeding from his words, and sincerity on his eyes cat any fear---of them---away. Staring up at his beautiful face, she wound her hands around his neck, teats spilling from her eyes.

"I-I love you too, Ben Solo."

Leaning up, she softly kissed his lips, and she could feel the shock of her finally admitting it surge through him. She loved him back! She kissed him even deeper in an attempt to alleviate the shock. It worked because she felt his body relaxing. 

"I want all of those same things....and I need them with you. I want so much to make you happy."

Leaning his forehead against hers, he took her chin in his hand and brushed the pad of his thumb across her lips. "There's no way you couldn't ever make me happy. It's impossible, Rey Johnson."

Ben rolled to the side, taking Rey with him. With that, they made love---unrelenting and sweet--into the early morning hours. 

**********

The lustrous sunlight spilling through the window shades stirred Rey from one of the best nights of sleep she had experienced in months.

With a long, lazy stretch and a smile, she pulled the mountain of tangled blankets tight around her chest, sat up, and leaned against the headboard. Her eyes scanned the expansive room for Ben. The sound of the shower running echoed through her ears as she soaked in just incredibly awesome her body felt.

Normally, she never worried about the way she looked upon rising; however, this morning was different---very different. Knowing her hair must've looked like a rat's nest and her face was definitely sporting last night's smudged make up, she promptly slid from the bed, dragging the blankets along with her, in an attempt to study her reflection in the mirror.

When her bare feet hit the cold marble floor, so did something else. Looking down, she found a large box with a red bow tied around it. Picking it up, she sat back down on the bed. It was addressed to her--well, not her, but Kaydel.

She just laughed at his dry sense of humor. "Such a wise-ass you are, Solo, but damn I love it."

Shaking her head, she started to open it and saw movement in her peripheral vision. Lifting her gaze, she was rewarded by the sight of Ben coming out of the bathroom---a white cotton towel wrapped around her waist.

Swallowing hard, Rey clutched the blankets around her chest and slid back against the headboard. Running his hand through his dampened hair, Ben smiled at her from across the bedroom, his muckles rippling in his abdomen as he stretched.

Sheepishly smiling back, Rey took in the beautiful sight that was before her. He was magnificent to say the least. She couldn't help bit let her eyes roam over him; it was impossible not to.

He was beauteous, not just his amazing stature but also his face. That strong angular jaw that completed his high cheekbones, and the light stubble on his chin only added to his masculinity---and further added to her quickened breath.

"Good morning." He said with a slick smile growing across his face. "I see that you found your gift."

Rey lifted a slow brow at his words. "Well, I found a gift for Kaydel. But, yes, I found a gift."

Chuckling, he padded over to the bed and sat down next to her. "If I recall correctly, you're the one who said I'd never let you live that one down, so I'm just holding up my end of the bargain."

Shaking her head, she playfully smacked his arm. He chuckled and slowly tucked her hair behind her ear. Fuck, she was a damn goddess! 

"Mm, I always knew you'd wake up pretty."

Biting down on her lip, noticeably embarrassed, she averted her gaze away from his. Mesmerized by the look in her eyes, Ben felt captivated by the fact that she clearly didn't realized how beautiful she was.

Her lips, the hue of a deep, ruddy wine, alluring green eyes, and the subtle curves of her body all tantalized his senses. Staring at her, his heart beat as her devotee while his eyes mapped out every inch of her face.

It wasn't just her physical beauty. It was literally everything about her, right down to the smell of her flesh--the things he would do just to obtain her scent.

She brought him warmth the entire night like a sweater on an autumn day, and he was willing to sacrifice anything in order to keep her for himself.

His long-drawn out thoughts and daydreams of this very moment---when he would share with her his cravings and she would do the same, trusting as only lovers could---unfolded with such vibrancy as she brought her gaze back to his.

High. Ben felt completely fucking high, as if he was floating on a cloud. No amount of money could buy this feeling, and he knew it. Placing ins his hand under her skin, he stared into her eyes.

"You look so beautiful, Rey." He whispered, gently coaxing her face towards his.

Slowly, he brushed his lips over hers---gently, passionate, and soft. Rey's fingers instantly delved into his hair, tugging just hard enough to make him moan. They sat there making out like two teenagers on a date---both content in just that....nothing more....just kissing.

After a few minutes of reveling in the minty taste of his lips, Rey pulled back. Ben looked at her, his brown eyes essentially making love to her in the process.

"What's wrong?" He asked, a boyish grin tipping the corners of his mouth.

"I, uh....need to go and brush my teeth." She said, tightening the blankets to her chest.

Letting out a tiny laugh, he reached for the unopened gift and handed it to her. He placed another luscious kiss on her lips. "You taste pretty delicious to me, but here. Open it."

She then smirked. "You know that's a pretty big box for something as small as a toothbrush."

He stroked his knuckles along her jaw. "Yeah, you're right, it is, isn't it?" With furrowed brows and a smile that trumped all the rest, she just stared up at him. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"When did you have time to go out and get me anything?"

"Well, sleepy head, it's not that early." He said, motioning to a clock highlighting that it was nearly eleven in the morning. "But to answer your question, I had my personal assistant run out to pick up a few things for you from the list that I gave."

"Ah, you assistant."

"Yes, my assistant." Playfulness danced across his features "But I'd be more than willing to replace him for the stunning women who's sitting in my bed right now."

"Oh, you'd hire me as your personal assistant, huh?"

"Of course, without hesitation." He whispered, the words spoken into the crease of her neck as he grazed his teeth down her shoulder. Rey's whole body went lax under his touch. "Though, I'm not quite sure we'd get much work done seeing as I would literally be---forgive my crudeness here, but I would fuck the living shit out of you on every surface of my office." Pulling back, he smiled. "Now do me a favor and open your gift, please." 

With one hand holding the blankets against her chest, Rey attempted to open the box with the other. Ben chuckled, realizing she was trying her hardest to keep her naked body covered.

This he found insanely cute and sexy at the same time. Without saying another word, he smiled and helped her. Upon opening it, she found two medium-sized boxes and one thinner box inside.

With a huge grin, Ben opened one of the medium boxes for her, pulling out and holding hooded New York sweatshirt-and-sweatpants outfit.

"Okay, you've completely lost it, Solo." The words flew past her lips in an exasperated giggle. She plucked it from his hands and tried to give him a disapproving glare, but she was inwardly approving too much at his cute gesture of attempting to turn her into a fan. "If you really think I'm going out into public wearing this, you're dead wrong."

His eyes slowly wandered over her face, his lips but a breath away from hers. "And who said that we're leaving my place today?"

"Hmm, we're not?"

"No, we're not. I'm holding you hostage here." He replied, his voice low, as he leaned in to kiss her. "The outfit's purely for my personal entertainment."

"Hmm, that sounds very interesting." She replied, and kissed him back. "And what did you have planned for us today?"

Nipping at her bottom lip, he smiled seductively at her. "Well, I figured we'd order in all day."

"Uh-huh, because food is such a necessity." She half-moaned as he continued to ghost his mouth over hers. 

"And sleep a little since we were up so late last night."

"Yes, because we do need to keep our strength up." She said as she ran her hand across the back of his neck. 

Still kissing her, he lifted her other arm around his neck, the blanket causally falling for her chest and exposing her naked body to him once more. "Curl up on my couch and watch all kinds of scary movies."

"I do like scary movies." She said, massaging her fingers into his hair while sexual heat pulsated through her system.

Catching her bottom lip between his teeth, he slowly smooth his hands across her exposed breasts. He smiled whenever she moaned under his touch. He simply loved the way she responded to him. "And in between all the food eating and movie watching, I'd really, really love to reenact last night's events play by play."

He gripped her and pulled her onto his lap, her hair cascading over his shoulders as their kiss deepened. "I wanna make love to you over....and over...and over...and over again."

Right about the same time Rey started peeling away the annoying barrier of the towel wrapped around his waist, his cell phone rang. Ben showed no intentions of retrieving the call....at all. He was too aroused, too invested in her touch, in her body, in their love.

With quickened breathing, Rey pulled back and looked at him. "You really should answer that, Mr. Solo." 

He threaded his fingers in her hair and guided her back down to his mouth. "No way." He groaned as he leaned back against the headboard, his kiss becoming harder. "Whoever it is, can surely wait."

"Uh, uh, uh." She pulled back again with a teasing smile. Though it took massive effort, she figured she'd play a little game---one he thought he was the master of. "I mean, It could be your mother and boys know better than to keep their mother's waiting---at least good boys do."

He ran his palm over his face and let out another groan. His lips curled into a sensual smile. "You're kill me here, Rey---literally killing me. You're making my dick so hard right now."

She smirked, reveling in the fact that she could make such a powerful man like him, crumble. Rolling off him, she started to laugh. "Hmm, so who's the one begging now, Solo?"

Shaking his head, he swung his long legs over the side of the bed. "Ooooh, you will pay for that one, Miss Johnson, I can promise you that."

As she listened to him speak with whoever was on the other end, she smiled and rang her finger across his back, hoping he would make good on this threat.

Getting pounded into the bed sheets for a fourth time in the span of twelve hours seemed like the ideal plan. Hell, she would take anything as long as it meant that she could spend it with_ him. _

"Can it not wait?" He asked the caller. Rey sat up on her knees and feather soft kisses along his shoulders. Loving the way she felt, Ben rolled his beck to the side, inviting her into the mouth. She kissed him for a few seconds before he spoke again. "All right, all right, just give me a minute." 

Cupping his hand over his cell, he turned around to face her. "It's Tim---motherfucker ruining this moment---I have a few things that I need to over with him about some bullshit at work. I might be a while."

Rey nodded. He touched her cheek with the back of his hand, stroking the curve of her chin. Settling his lips over hers, he kissed her tenderly. _God, I could kiss this beautiful man forever! I love him so much! _

Before last night, she never would have been able to say that--now, being here with him and sharing herself with him, she wasn't afraid of that anymore. She _loved_ him!

"Open the rest of your gifts, go take a hot shower, and I'll make use some breakfast when I'm done talking with him."

She nodded, her eyes following him as she made his way out of the bedroom. Trying to same her heated senses, she drew in a deep breath and started going through the rest of the items. Along with a pair of pink-and-gray Nike Shox sneakers, she also found the necessities she needed for her to take a shower.

From shampoo to an array of body wash and razors, he seemed to have covered all the bases. There was also a bottle of Jimmy Choo perfume. Rey figured he must have spoken with Rose, because that was her favorite kind.

Opening the thinnest box, she smiled when she found a pair of black laces panties and a matching bra. After gathering everything together, Rey slipped from the bed and padded into the bathroom where she indulged in a hot, soothing shower.

Though her body felt at ease in complete bliss, her thoughts were anything but. Overwhelmed would have been a complete understatement. She has a lot that she knew she had to face when Poe got back.

Frankly, it terrified her right down to her bones. She ran over the things that she would tell him. However, she still couldn't push away the feeling that somehow the whole scenario was about to go up in flames---torching her, Ben and Poe in the process.

Stepping out from the shower, she grabbed a towel and tried to push away the festering negative thoughts taking residence in her head.

Once dressed in her less-than-appealing Yankees attire, she made her way into the living room, her eyes sweeping over Ben's collage of black-and-white photos; most were massive. Unlike her last visit, this time she actually was able to study them more clearly.

It was then that she noticed every picture was a building or famous structure. She immediately recognized the Pantheon in Rome. Another was a French portrait of the Palace of Versailles. Her eyes scanned over the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, and the Gateway Arch.

She began to wonder if they were the places Ben had already visited or if they were on his list of places to see. With that thought in mind, she followed the voice if the man she wanted to know more about.

She found him sitting in his office, sitting behind a large mahogany desk with Manhattan's skyline just beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. Although the structures of the most powerful city in the world towered over his frame, he looked more like a king seated on his throne.

And now that king....was all hers.

With his eyes downcast, staring at his laptop, still in business mode with his Bluetooth receiver in his ear, Ben didn't noticed her observing him from the door frame. To her major disappointment, he'd already gotten dressed.

However, as casual and relaxed as he appeared in a pair of black sweatpants, a white V-neck T-shirt, and reading glasses, in at that moment, she felt completely drawn to him. Quietly, she moved across the room.

It wasn't until she was within arm's length of him that his head snapped up, a very contagious smile slowly washing over his face. He held his finger up, signaling her another minute---but she didn't want to wait any more.

No, instead, she found herself slowly sliding her sweatpants off, her haze intent upon his.

Today, she was the huntress and Ben Solo was her prey. She watch him sallow, his Adam's apple bobbing, as he leaned back in his leather chair, crossing his arms.

His smile immediately widened. But he kept his voice cool and monotone---continuing his conversation as if unaffected by her little striptease---but his physical reaction was rising through his sweatpants told her another story.

Positioning herald directly in front of him, she planted her foot on his chair between his legs. A salacious grin tipped the corners of his mouth of his mouth as she leveraged herself, slowly like a snake, slithering her body on top of his sleek desk.

With his head at an even height with her stomach, he rolled himself forward and gripped her waist as he looked up at her. Sucking on his bottom lip, he smirked and shook his head as if warning her of the wonderful things that were yet to come for her teasing.

"Tim, really now is just not a move." he said. He paused a moment and listened, his eyes never once leaving Rey's.

A wave of heat coursed through her body was his hands gripped her even tighter around her waist while the pads of her thumb stroked slow circles against her sensitive stomach.

She showed no mercy either as she teasingly pulled off her sweatshirt off, her bare foot sliding up against his crotch. The come-hither in her eyes nearly sank Ben right there.

If Rey wasn't mistaken, a light groan rumbled somewhere in the back of his throat, and she swore it was the most erotic sound she'd ever heard. Her awareness of him was quickly becoming painful as the flesh between her legs tightened viciously.

She tipped her head back and seductively ran her hands over the black lace of her bra, kneading her fingers against her breasts, in the hopes of shortening his conversation with Tim.

**********

"No, right, I understand, but that account is months away from going live according to Snoke and the research we've done on it, so it's nothing something I'm really all that worried about right now." He said, his voice cracking slightly. "L-Look, man, I have to go now. I'll talk to you about this another time."

He then yanked off the earpiece and tossed it onto his desk. _Bingo...I got you now, Solo!_

He went to pull off his black-rimmed glasses, but Rey caught his wrist, stilling his movements. "No, keep them on." she rasped, her gaze sweeping over his handsome face. "You look super sexy in them."

Wearing a boyish grin, he tilted his head to one side and studied her. "I look sexy in glasses?" he asked, his hands now spreading her thighs wide open. Nodding, she let out a breath as her palms against the cool surface of the desk. "Mmm, I don't know about all that now, Miss Johnson."

He then eased her panties to the side and slipped his thick index finger inside her. He pulled it out, licked her juices from it, and then gently pushed in two and curling upwards, hiting that sweet spongy spot that he knew made her toes curl.

"Ben, yes.....please....please don't stop!" she moaned, her back bowing under his assault as her hips circled shamelessly against his thrusting fingers. While the fingers of his one hand had worked inside of her, the tore and snapped the panties away from her body.

"Fuck---goddamn it, you're so fucking wet." he hissed though gritted teeth as he quickly rose from his chair. With his free hand, he swiftly shed his clothing while his other continued to push in and out of her. 

His rhythm was steady and unhurried as his thumb circled her sensitive clit. Rey's sex rippled eagerly around his fingers, her grip white-knuckling the sides of the desk. 

"Fuck---Fuck, Ben, you're so good---so good!"

"I do this to you, Rey. I make your body like this!" he growled, thrusting his fingers inside even harder causing her legs to shake.

A moan left her lips, and she reached for his dick, sliding her hand up it's length from root to tip. She helped him guide it through her saturated folds, and when he was finally snug inside her, she sucked in the air as he deliciously stretched her out.

After lifting his shirt off over is head, she unhooked her bra and tossed it to the side.

"Ah, Christ, you're so fucking tight!" he bit out, his blazing amber eyes intense as he watched her. "I love the way you feel around me."

With his hands fisting her waist, Ben's head fell back and let out a deep, guttural groan. His pace was fast and hard---and Rey _loved_ it.

Her face flushed, her skin misted with sweat, and her body shook as he pounded into her, driving the message home repeatedly. Holding onto his neck, she pulled him down to kiss him, but he resisted. 

"Ben what are you doing?!" she asked, panting as he thrust insider her hard again but this time slower but with more force that his balls slapped against her ass. "I-I want to kiss you, Ben!"

Pulling out a fraction, stared at her, his mouth curving wickedly. "I know you do, doll, but I'm not letting you kiss me!"

With her nails digging into his broad shoulders, she leaned forward again in an attempt to catch his mouth, but he steadied her, his hand cupping her curve of her neck. _No, no, Miss Johnson, we're playing by my rules now!_

He brushed his thumb over her lips as he pushed even deeper, and she gasped, arching her back. Her body felt as if it were was about to combust onto a ring of flames.

"W-Why won't you let me kiss you?" she breathed.

Ripping his glasses from his face, she flung them to the side as waves of screaming pleasure tore through her.

He smirked, and with another slow, rough thrust, he groaned. "Because I want you see your beautiful face the entire time I fuck you. See what you look like when I'm inside you---when you come for me."

He jerked his hips forward, harder and deeper as he gripped the sides of her thighs. Her folds sheathed every stiff inch of him, her body shaking and clenching around his.

"B-Ben!"

"You're going to let me watch you cum around me, Rey!"

Feeling his demand excruciatingly carnal, her mind went wild for him, it's ferocious desire needing to give him just what he wanted. Her entire body shuddered, and within seconds, her core convulsed with rippling orgasms tearing through every cell in her body.

It radiated outward until she was trembling from head to toe, mindless in her ecstasy.

"Fuck! Fuck I'm cumming, Ben! I'm cumming!!" 

As soon as she did, Ben caught her by the nape of her neck, slamming his mouth against hers. He growled and Rey's name tore past his lips and he licked his tongue across the side of her jaw. Still battering into her, Rey felt his body tip over the edge, fraying.

"Do it, Ben!" Rey begged, scraping her nails down his back causing the skin to break and bleed. "Please, do it!"

"D-Do what?, babe? Tell me what you want me to do?!" He asked her in a ragged voice, still thrusting hard against her.

"I want you to cum inside of me! Please, give me all of your hot, sticky cum! Fill me up, please!"

Her wish was his command and he was only happy to oblige to his queen's demands. One final thrust against her and he went completely ridged, feeling his hot liquid warmth flow deep within her, painting her insides white as he groaned into her neck, his whole body shaking with his own climax. 

As the scent of sex filled the air and seductive mixture of love and pheromones raced through their bodies, Ben picked her up and carried her into the living room. Dragging her down with him, they collapsed on the touch.

With ecstatic spasms still rushing through each of their muscles, Ben reached for a blanket, tossed it over their named skin, and pulled Rey against his chest.

"You're fucking amazing, Rey Johnson." he whispered, kissing her forehead. "And I love you---fuck, I love you! I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Ben Solo." She let out a satisfied sigh and smiled against his chest. 

They held each other, absorbing the aftershocks as their breathing slowed and evened out. Ben brushed the damp tendrils of hair away from Rey's face, his fingertips gliding across her lips and down the curve of her jaw.

Arms, legs, and bodies intertwined, they both drifted off into a glorious haze of sleep, neither wanting to wake up from this perfect dream.

**********

With the sun dipping below the horizon, the only should in the penthouse Ben could hear was Rey's shallow breath as it whispered against his bare chest. Stroking her hair from her shoulder, he was all too aware that the minutes they had left together were fading quickly. 

Closing his eyes, Ben breathed her in, trying to hold to the moment, but his thoughts were consumed with something he wasn't used to. Fear.

Ben usually feared nothing, and now he felt completely overtaken by it. Though Poe wouldn't be back until Tuesday, Ben knew that when he returned, things could possibly change for him and Rey.

Ben had no reservations in his heart that she didn't love him; she'd spent the last twenty-four hours proving to him that she did.

However, he couldn't ignore the possibility that she might change her mind once Poe returned. He knew she felt tied to him, bound to the small morsels of kindness he'd shown her every now and again.

There was no doubt that the Asshole would use those times against her once he found out about the two of them. Staring at her sleeping form curled against him, Ben gently bent over and kissed her forehead.

He prayed to God that the woman who delivered more than she'd ever know---who filled his empty life by her mere presence--didn't crumble under Poe's pleads to take him back.

Trying not to wake her, Ben carefully slid from the couch and moved towards the kitchen. He pulled out a menu to order them some dinner. Since he so clearly their encounter in front of the sushi restaurant, he figured that was a safe bet.

After the order was placed, Ben padded into his office to retrieve their discarded clothing. He got dressed, and when he returned to the living room, he found Rey was wide awake.

She smiled up at him and stretched out her long arms before she rose from the couch, dragging the blanket along with her.

Ben watched the woman who owned his heart slowly make her way towards him, his breathing spiking instantly the closer she got. With the blanket wrapped tightly around her body, Rey shoved up on her tiptoes, draped one arm around his neck and started kissing him.

Smiling, Ben slipped his arms around her waist, holding her close as he reciprocated, soaking her sweetness into his mouth, her scent into his nose, and her touch into his skin.

She pulled back, her eyes lazy with sleep. "It's almost dark outside. I can't believe I slept that long."

A smart-ass smirk crossed his handsome features. "Well, you've managed to keep us....quite active since last night, Miss Johnson."

"And you partook in every single moment of it, Mr. Solo." she said matter-of-factly. "And If I'm not mistaken, you enjoyed every single second of it."

"Mmm, damn you caught me. I enjoyed ever millisecond, to tell you the truth."

She laughed, and cupped her his jaw, this thumb stroking her cheek. "I just woke up, actually." he said, flashing his dimpled smile at her. "You're hungry, right? I mean, considering we slept straight through breakfast and lunch, you must be."

"I'm starved....famished, really."

"Excellent." Ben smiled. "I ordered us some sushi. Good?"

"Perfect?" she answered, placing a kiss upon his cheek. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go clean up and get myself dressed in the wonderful Yankees attired you've forced me into wearing today."

Leaning against the counter, he chuckled and watched her slip into the bathroom.

"WISEASS!" She called out before closing the door.

Rey giggled when she heard him laugh at her comment, but her smile fell once she glanced at herself in the mirror. Though her body may have been brought to extreme heights of ecstasy over the last few hours, she disheveled appearance said otherwise.

With her hair matted, lips swollen from frenzied kissing, and eyes showing lack of sleep from the night before, she decided that a quick shower was in order.

After finishing up, she realized she completely forgotten to bring that fashionable Yankees outfit into the bathroom. Wrapping a towel around her wet body, she opened the door to find Ben standing there with her clothing in his hands.

He poked his head in, dangling the attire in front of her. Every time she tried to grab it from, he'd yank his arm back.

"Would you please stop that?" she pouted, once again reaching for the clothing.

"Do you have any idea the self-control I'm exercising right now?" She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "However, you're out of luck. The food's already here, and I don't want you to starve any more than you already have."

He then slowly handed her the clothing, only to snatch it back one final time. Scoffing her now folded her arms and gave him a very sour look.

"But I make absolutely no promises after we're done eating, though."

"Sounds like fun."

He leaned in to kiss her and walked away, but he stopped in the hall and turned around. "Rey."

"Ben."

"Don't forget, doll." he warned, his smirk exploding off his face. "My impatient hands ripped the panties from that body of yours earlier, so it looks like your going commando this time."

"BEN!" she said, her expression mocking his.

"Rey."

"I enjoyed ever millisecond of you ripping those panties from my body, I assure you. As Ben tried to walk back into the bathroom, Rey closed the door and immediately locked it behind her. "The food will get cold!"

"It's sushi, babe! It's supposed to be cold. And I'm giving you five minutes to come out here and eat it." He groaned. "If not, I'm beating the door down, and you'll be what I'm having for dinner, Miss Johnson."


	16. Chapter 16

Laughing, she heard him walk away and found herself trying to hold back the sudden urge of allowing him to acquire her as his main dish. Though his threat held massive appeal she got dressed, blew her hair dry, and made her way into the living room.

To her surprise--and very much to her liking--he'd dimmed the lights, turned on the gas fireplace, and set up a makeshift picnic in front of the crackling flames. Again, she found herself observing him without his knowledge.

Mystified by everything about him, she watched him pour each of them a glass of red wine, his body relaxed as he sat cross-legged on the blanket.

Leaning against the wall, she crossed her arms and wondered what the last year of her life would've been like had he been the one to come and visit Rose with Hux instead of Poe.

However, in that moment, a sickening paradox occurred within her thoughts. No matter how badly her scenario with Poe had ended, Rey could never forget the things he'd helped her through, and a part of her would always love for that.

Nevertheless, her heart now lay in Ben's hands. He was her new love, a new path, and the new road she wanted to follow.

On a sigh, she walked over to Ben and knelt astride him. He smiled as he curled his arm around her waist. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips, and when she did, the heat he resurrected in her body made itself acutely present--but at the same time, guilt filled her soul.

Some of it was guilt for Poe, but most was guilt that she was the reason Ben was about to step into a catastrophe. They had both opened up the floodgates to something that could devastate them both. 

The only thing she could do was pray he was strong enough to endure the turmoil they would both find themselves in once Poe returned from his trip.

"I love you, Ben." she whispered.

Pulling back, he searched her hazel eyes. "I love you, Rey." he said, brushing his fingers through her hair. "I honestly do."

She gave him a weak smile and moved across the blanket, careful not to knock anything over. She started to open some of the containers and placed a few rolls of sushi onto her plate.

Handing her a pair of chopsticks, Ben studied her for a moment, immediately picking up on the shift in her demeanor.

"Are you all right?"

She took a sip of her wine and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Are you sure? You're awfully quiet."

"I am." She leaned over and stroked his cheek. "Thank you, Ben, for all of this. It's been so perfect."

Her reassuring touch settled his thoughts. Letting out a breath, he smiled. "No, no, it's me who needs to be thanking you here."

"Oh, don't be silly." Her forehead crinkled in question. "Thank me, for what?"

"For everything, Rey." he replied, his voice and eyes soft. She looked at him, her movements stilled his tone. "Thank you for falling in love with me. God know, I've wanted it since I first laid eyes on you that day in the office. Thank you for sharing yourself with me. God, thank you for not wanting to fucking kill me every time I pursued you during all of this. I know I've put you in a bad position, but I just couldn't....."

He paused, drawing in a long breath as he looked down at his plate. When he brought his gaze back to hers, he could see tears brimming in her eyes."

"....I just couldn't stay away from you." he whispered. "I felt you the second you walked into my building. Hell, I think I felt you before you walked in. I've never ever experienced anything like that before in my life. It just all flashed in front of me---marriage, kids, us growing old together. You pulled me in, and I knew....I just knew right then and there we were supposed to be together."

Now she moved to him, uncaring of knocking anything over. She sat up on her knees and inched her way across the blanket, where she snuggled into his lap. Draping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down to the mouth.

Any and all doubts she had that he wouldn't be able to endure what they were about to go through together evaporated from her mind. Vanished. Poof. Gone.

"Babe, you're crying." he whispered over her lips, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Somehow I always managed to make you cry."

"Trust me, these are definitely good tears this time, Ben." she said, sniffling.

"And that's all they'll ever be." He leaned down to kiss her. "And I swear to God that's all they'll ever be, Rey."

Still sitting in his lap, she reached for a pair of chopsticks and plucked a roll out of one of the metal tins. "Open up." she said holding it to his cheery-lips. "I want to feed you."

He did as she asked, smiling while he chewed. "I could really get used to this."

"Yeah, I bet you could." A roll of giggles crawled up her throat.

"But of course." He lifted his glass and took a sip. "I'll take more." he said, opening his mouth wide.

She popped another into his mouth. "Can I ask you something, Mr. Solo?"

"Anything."

"Have you really been to all these places?" With a sweep of her hand, she motioned to the pictures hanging on the wall.

Swallowing, he took a second to look at some of them. He then nodded. "Yes, I have, actually. I went there to study them."

"You mean for school? But I thought you took business management?"

"I did take business management." he said, smiling up at her. "But I originally wanted to become an architect. I'm fascinated with the way things are created--from stories in books to buildings." He traced the curve of her jaw, down to her collarbone, and then over her shoulder. He felt her shiver. "I find it amazing that a thought can turn into something so beautiful and so life-changing---just from a simple vision or an idea."

"So why didn't you go to school for that, then?"

His gaze swept over the pictures again. "After my grandmother passed away unexpectedly, I was left with a considerable large inheritance. My father who was reaching retirement wanted met to something---so I went to work for Kenneth Snoke at First Order Holdings." Reaching for another sushi, he popped it into his mouth and shrugged. "Snoke, however, needed half of inheritance to start it up. Most people don't know this, but instead of becoming a silent partner, I went in as part owner. Essentially, the advertising industry creates things, so I figured why the hell not? Besides, it was something my father really wanted for me, and I didn't want to let him down."

Rey cupped her hand over his neck, playing with his soft black hair as she did. "You did it for him."

"Kind of." He shrugged. "But I'd never let him know that, of course."

"But do you like it, though? I mean, are you actually happy doing it?"

"I'm happy with how successful the company itself has become." Quirking a brow, he smirked. "And I don't usually have to go into work until ten in the morning most days, so that's definitely a plus on my part. Snoke has been very generous on his part."

"Lucky you. I wish I could in that late." she sighed. "But you didn't answer my question, Solo." He smiled, and she adjusted herself in his lap. "Are you actually happy doing it?"

"You want my honest opinion?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what I'm shooting for here, hot-shot."

"I hate it. It bores me pretty much close to death on my best of days. The only enjoyment I get is the accounts and insane amount of money we obtain from them."

"You really should be happy with what you do for a living." she said, leaning up to kiss him. "Have you ever thought about selling off your portion of the company or telling Snoke you want to do something else?"

Stroking her hair away from her face, he kissed her forehead. "I have, and I will eventually. Considering, with my help, of course, we just got her back on her feet again within the last few years, I want to make sure she's solid before I do."

"You're such a good person, Ben, you know that?"

"Yeah, I'm as pretty fucking cool as they come." They both found amusement in his comment, and Ben pulled her closer to him. "So what made you decide to leave Jakku Enterprises?"

"I just wanted a change of pace---not that Mrs. Holdo's company was horrible to me or anything, but I thought I could put skills to the test at a different place. Besides this is New York---why waste a good opportunity when it presents itself to you, right? Turns out I was right." said Rey softly.

He stared at her for a few seconds and slowly smiled at her. "You know, you're as pretty cold as they come."

"Oh, am I?" she questioning, beaming. "I've never been referred to as cool before---like ever."

He gently pulled her up, positioned her legs around his waist, and brushed his lips against hers. “Yes, doll. You’re undoubtedly the coolest woman that I know.” he said, sucking on her bottom lip. “And I promise to always refer to you being the cool chick—that sexy cool chick of mine!” 

“Well, thank for that.” She giggled against her mouth. “And I promise you always refer to you as wise-ass.” 

“Mmm, you my full permission to call me whatever the hell you want.”

She smiled and continued to indulge his overly skilled mouth. After a few minutes, Ben pulled back, the proverbial elephant in the room resting heavy on his chest. 

“Could I ask you a question now?”

“Absolutely!” She replied, placing a kiss on his jaw. 

"How are we going about telling Poe...about this....about....us?" Ben felt her whole body tense around him at these words. He immediately brought his hand around the back of her neck and cautiously coaxed her face within inches of his, his eyes soft. "Rey." he whispered. "We. Yes, I said we. I'm not letting you tell him alone, do you understand me?"

Swallowing hard, she nodded. "I do, but could we just not talk about him right now, Ben?"

\

Ben search her eyes. He could tell that she was nervous, and he knew the risk that she was taking was far greater than this---but he also felt confused. "We have to talk about him soon or latey, Rey."

"I know we do." she answered, lifiting her hands his to his cheeks. "It's just that he doesn't get back until Tuesday. It's Sunday night, and I just want right here and now to be about you and me. Not him....just us, Ben."

She found his perfect mouth again and kissed him ferociously, wanting nothing more than to be rid of Poe from her thoughts. Ben tightened his hold around her waist and groaned into her mouth. She slowly pulled back and looked at him.

"Tomorrow night, okay? We'll go over everything tomorrow night, that way when do to face him---we'll be ready."

"All right, but you have to swear to me that you won't say anything to him before that time comes." He smoothed his hands through her hair. "I want to be there. Again, this is us."

"I know this is us. Thank you." she whispered, leaning her forehead against his. "But quite honestly, I haven't even answered his phone calls."

"Okay, I just want to make sure---" Rey placed a silencing finger over his mouth, and he smiled. "Just stop." she said, removing her finger and replacing it with her lips. While his tongue swept through her mouth, she tried to relax her nerves down from the conversation. That didn't take too long at all.

"You're staying with me tonight again, I assume." he whispered, his mouth grazing over her jaw.

She tilted her head as his kisses moved down her collarbone. "I can't. I have to go to work really early in the morning, stupid meeting."

"You work?" he asked as he lifted her arms, gently pulling her sweatshirt off.

"Yes, I do, actually. You should stop by my office sometime." she unclasped her bra and tossed it aside. "Why do you ask?"

Ben focused his eyes on her luscious breasts, and a reverent smile broke out across his face. Wetting his lips, he remained silent. Rey placed a finger under his chin, bringing his gaze back to hers. "Why?"

He pulled her into his mouth and started kissing her hard. "Why what?" he asked, nipping at her lip.

"Ben." she laughed. "You asked if I worked?"

"Oh, right." he chuckled, swiftly removing his shirt. "You said you can't stay with me because you have to get up early in the morning."

"Yes, I did."

"Doesn't work automatically get a pass when you're so in love with someone?" he clipped, sweeping his hand beneath her knees as he stood and carried her to his bedroom. "I mean, it's only filing and answering important calls and attending important meetings."

"No, unfortunately you don't automatically get a pass." she playfully asserted, nuzzling her nose against his cheek. "And we don't just do "all-of-that", Ben Solo. We are a fully functional company."

Placing her down onto the bed, he watched her slide her naked body toward the pillows. He shed the rest of his clothing and climbed under the blankets.

"So there's nothing I could say to you---wait strike that. There's nothing that I can do to you that would make you change your mind about staying with me tonight?"

She smiled and ran her hands over his shoulders. "I really can't, Ben. But I'll let you try to convince me."

"Mmm, you drive a very hard bargain there." he breathed, feathering his lips along the curve of her neck. "But I'll take it, Miss Johnson."

Over the next several hours, both Ben and Rey thoroughly enjoyed....dessert multiple times.

Though he hounded her a little bit more he brought as her home, despite his best efforts with passionate, tender kisses and even offering to pay her a year's salary for the night, he watched her close the door to her apartment.

He cursed the fact that tomorrow was Monday, and the fact that she also had to work.

With his body racing with excitement and his heart soaring with love unlike any he'd ever felt, it was all that Ben could do to make his way back home without getting in a car accident. His mind replayed the last twenty-four hours repeatedly like a vivid movie, a vivid love story.

To hell with Casablanca. He was in love---and now he truly felt like a God. 

Now he felt he truly had it all.

He knew he looked like a goofy lovesick fool as he padded into his whistling building. The door attendant greeted him with the tip of his hat and a curious expression.

Even he knew something had changed in Ben. Smiling, Ben patted his shoulder, shook his hand and headed straight for the elevators.

**********

Ben decided to forgo a shower---wanting to hold on to Rey's scent--but it was well past eleven by the time he sat down in front of his laptop to get some work done. It was also well past eleven when his front door buzzed.

Snapping his head up, he couldn't help the smile washing over his face as he made his way down the hall. Rey had promised that if anything changed, she would come back. He reached for the doorknob, and upon opening it, he was met with familiar green eyes.

Unfortunately, they weren't the eyes he had expected. As he felt the blood completely drain from his face, confusion clouded his head.

"What the fuck are _you_ doing here?"

"Well that's an awful nice way of greeting someone you spent half-a decade with." Jessika replied, wiping her tears from her face as the smell of booze wafted through the air around her. Ben poked his head out and glanced from side to side down the hall. "What are you doing? she replied, stumbling back.

"I'm looking for the fucking hidden camera crew---that's what I'm doing!" he bit out. His brows furrowed like raven's wings over his darkened eyes. "Is this some kind of sick joke?!"

"No, Ben, it's not a joke." she choked out, slurring her words. "I know I'm the very last person you want to see right now, but the only reason I'm here is because I just found out my father died."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, he looked down and shook his head. "Jessika, what do you want?" he asked, his voice calmer.

"Jesus, Ben, I just told you that my father's dead" she sobbed, moving closer.

This was not what Ben had hoped to be dealing with, especially after two wonderfully blissful days with Rey. He was exhausted, he was behind on work---and his fucking ex-fiance was at his doorstep.

"My brother's over in Greece right now. You know that I have no one else." she cried, burying her face in her hands. She lifted her bloodshot, swollen eyes back to his, her lips quivering. "Can you at least let me come in for a few minutes?"

Swallowing hard, he stared at her for a long moment as his thoughts ran over every possible scenario that might allow him to the escape the situation. Watching the woman he had spent so many years with tremble and shake like a lost, brokenhearted child, he couldn't stop his thoughts from weaving over to Rey.

He wondered what the woman he was in love with would think if he actually let his ex-fiancé into his home.

"Please, Ben, I just need someone to talk to right now." she whispered, staring at the floor as her body swayed slightly.

"Jessika, you do understand that you're only coming in to talk, right?" She wiped the tears from her face and nodded. "I want to make myself very, very clear here. I'm giving you fifteen minutes and then you have to leave."

"Okay." she cried, looking into his eyes. "Thank you, Ben."

Without another word, he ran a nervous hand through his hair and reluctantly stepped back to allow her into his penthouse.

His mind struggled with his decision, as he snapped the door shut behind her. She stumbled into the living room, removed her jacket, and dropped it onto the floor as through it were a used tissue. 

"Do you have any alcohol?" she asked, sinking down onto his couch. 

"I think you've already had quite enough to drink." he replied, sitting on a chair across the room. "So what exactly happened to your father?"

"He hanged himself." she sobbed, folding her hands across her stomach as if she were in physical pain. "He got himself in deep and lost everything! He also dragged me down with him this time!"

Ben knew immediately what she was talking about. He'd spent the five years of their relationship digging her father out from one gambling mess to the next--everything from horse races to long weekend trips the asshole spent in Las Vegas.

The tally rose was close to $300,000, if not more. With a heavy sigh, Ben folded his hands together and leaned forward.

"Do you need help with the funeral expenses or your rent? Which is it?"

Powering her hand through her mousy-brown hair, she sucked in an indignant breath. "How could you even say that to me right now?! My father is dead and you think that I came here for money?!"

"To tell you the truth, Jessika, I'm pretty fucking sure that's exactly why you came here tonight!"

Using the back of her hand to wipe her nose, she stared up at him, her mouth wide open. "I seriously can't believe what you're saying to me right now, Ben, considering that---"

"Considering what?!" he cut her off, his tone harsh in nature. "You fucking walked out of my life, put me through fucking hell, and now you shot up at my doorstep out of nowhere, laying all of this out on me! I'm sorry, Jessika, but if what you're looking for is a shoulder to cry on, I'm not your guy!"

She scoffed, reaching for a tissue off the edge of the coffee table and blew her nose. He was supposed to be understand, helpful even; instead he was being a world-class jerk instead! 

He rose from his chair, padded his way into the kitchen, and flung open one of the cabinets. _This is not how I was hoping this night would go!_ Yanking a bottle of bourbon from the top shelf, he poured himself a shot and tossed it back. "Look, I'm sorry to hear about your father---I honestly am---but I don't know what you want from me, Jessika!"

"Ben, I came here because you're the only person in the whole world who really knows and understands me!" she gasped, her tear-stained eyes wounded. "You know that my left us! I have no one! How can you be so fucking heartless to me right now?!"

"Yeah, I'm the heartless one here. I learned from the very best; let's not forget that! If you need money then just fucking say it already! Goddammit!" He slammed the shit glass on the counter so hard that Jessika jumped, startled by his anger.

Somewhere between the adrenaline coursing through his veins and her sobbing, Ben faintly registered the sound of his cell phone ringing. For a moment, he felt as though his feet were frozen to the floor.

He couldn't believe that the woman who'd hurt him so badly and put him through so much heartbreak was sitting on his sofa, asking him to alleviate _her_ pain.

Shaking his head, Ben turned away and shuffled out of the living room to answer the call. By the time he made it into his office, the phone had stopped ringing. His heart stopped when he realized that it was Rey who'd called. _Fuck! Fuck!_

He reclined into his leather chair, stabbed his pass code into the damn thing, and retrieved the message she had left him:

_Well, hello there your gorgeous, perfect wise-ass. Look, I know it's pretty late, and I was about to go to bed myself, but I just wanted to call and thank you for one of the best nights and days of my life. I know you and I have a tough ride ahead of us....but....." _she paused and lowered her voice. "_....but as afraid of all of this as I was, I'm not scared anymore, Ben. I'm really, truly not. You depleted me of any doubts that I might've had about us before. I don't know, I'm just rambling on now, but I just wanted you to know that...that i do....I love you, and I'm excited to see just how amazing we're going to be together. I'll see you tomorrow night. Sweet dreams. I love you, Benjamin Organa-Solo._

Ben just smiled and let the uplifting feeling fill his soul._ Rey loved him! _It was all he had ever wanted since the day he first met her and now it was all falling into place. He lost count of the amount of times he listened to Rey's message, her voice like an angel amid the nightmare sitting in his living room.

Sighing, he scrubbed his palms over his face and debated sending her a text. He decided against his, considering she said that she was going to bed. He'd see her tomorrow night anyways. Rising from his chair, he made his way back into the living room---only to find his nightmare-of-an-ex sound sleep on the couch, wearing only her sweater and panties.

On the floor, next to her jeans, the bottle of bourbon was tipped over onto it's side, nearly empty.

"Seriously how can a day so fucking good end so fucking badly?" he mumbled, as he moved across the room towards the couch. "Jessika." he said, leaning over her as he nudged her shoulder. "You need to leave..._now._"

She swatted her hand at him but severely missed her mark. "I'm too fucking drunk to go anywhere, Ben." she slurred. "Don't worry; I won't steal you millions while you're dead asleep."

"No, Jessika, you're not sleeping here." he replied, his voice insistent. "Get up."

"Pick me up if you want me out of here, then, Solo." she said, giggling as she reached for the blanket. 

Ben cringed because the blanket draped across her drunken body was the same blanket he'd spent the day tucked underneath with Rey. He pretty much decided that he would torch it after this, for he had no desire to any of Jessika's remains left behind. 

"I'm not picking you up. You're not even fucking dressed." His voice showed his patience was wearing thin. He nudged her shoulder once again, this time harder. "Get the fuck up, Jessika! I'm not fucking kidding!"

She verbally didn't answer him. However, her slight snoring did all the talking, showing signs that she wasn't leaving any time soon. Picking up the bottle, Ben walked into the kitchen and emptied the rest of it's contents into the sink.

Letting out a heavy sigh,he chucked it into the garbage, leaned himself against the counter, and peered over Jessika from across the room. Short of removing her, couch and all, Ben resigned himself to the fact that she was indeed staying for the night.

With that, he flipped the lights off and headed into his bedroom, his muscles tensing with aggravation and anger with every step that he took. It was well after midnight by the time Ben climbed into bed.

It was also well after midnight when he decided that his conversation with Rey tomorrow night would be more than just about Poe. It would also consist of his unexpected house-guest. He only prayed that somehow, someway Rey would understand.

**********

Ben felt her hands sliding down his neck, tracing his pectorals, and ultimately inching down his abdomen. As her hand dipped below his sweatpants she was pulling off his body, he felt her silken hair draped over the flare of his naked hips.

Ben sucked in a deep lungful of air when he tongue licked over his hardened arousal, swirling languorous circles along its tip. With his eyes still closed, he foster her hair as her head steadily bobbed up and down—her mouth taking in every hard inch of him, her tongue greedily flicking for his juices.

He could hear the sound of her cheeks hollowing and un-hollowing with each naughty, pull and—goddamn—it was driving his nuts. 

Needing take in the beautiful sight of the women he so desperately loved sucking him off into absolute oblivion, he leaned up on his elbows and literally found one of his worse nightmares staring back at him—her eyes wicked as she continued her exploration of him.

It wasn’t Rey who was giving him pleasure, but Jessika.

“What the—-“

"Good morning, gorgeous!"

Ben immediately flew back against the headboard only to find it was just a nightmare and nothing more. Plowing his hands through his dampened hair, he sighed with relief. His body broke out into a cold sweat as his eyes flew across his empty bedroom.

With his heart hammering through his chest, he sat on the edge of the bed before making his way into the living room.

"Jessika, you have to get up now." he called out, padding into the kitchen were he brewed some much needed coffee.

The very thought of adding a tiny bit of alcohol to his mug became very appealing, considering the mess lying on his couch, but he decided to forgo it. Before dozing off last night, Ben had called Jessika's brother and found out her whole story was a complete lie---one huge bullshit-filled lie Ben figured was some pretty sick ploy to either get him back or to get money from him.

Her brother confirmed their was indeed in another gambling mess, but he was alive and well, and hiding out somewhere in Mexico City.

She mumbled something inaudible and pulled the blanket over her body as she turned her back to him, waving him off as if he were the nuisance on this fine Monday morning.

"I'm fucking serious! You have to get the hell up! Let's not forget you have a funeral to plan. And at this point, it may not be for Daddy with the mood you now have me in." He grabbed a mug and looked at his watch, noting the time to be quarter past seven. Jessika didn't move, so he figured he would up the ante. "Look, I've never ever physically assaulted a woman in my entire life, but you have me second-guessing my morals. GET UP, NOW!"

That caught her attention. Sluggishly, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Fuck, why are you in such a rush to get me out of here, Ben?"

"You never did cease to amaze me." he huffed, shaking his head. He sipped his coffee. "Never."

She rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen, her body still lacking jeans. "Come on, Ben." She grazed her hand against his jaw. He immediately jerked away and stepped back. "What the heck's wrong with you?" she asked, her eyes bulging. "You use to love it when I touched you. You're acting as thought I'm contaminated."

He placed his mug down on the counter, a frown marring the space between her brows. "Everything about you is a contamination." he whispered through gritted teeth. "I need to get in the shower. When I get out, if you're still here, I will physically remove you myself."

He went to walk away, but she grabbed his arm. "I-I still love you, Ben!" she cried out. He yanked his arm away, staring at her as if she was a disease. "Leaving you was the biggest mistake of my entire life, Ben! Please, we can work this out!"

"Like I said, when I get out of the shower, if you're still here, I'm fucking removing you myself!" 

His tone said not fuck with him. He headed towards his bedroom, but before entering, he faced her again with a dark smirk plastered across his face. "And by the way, in case you needed to know, I'm completely head-over-heels, please-don't-wake-me-from-this-motherfucking-dream in love with someone else. She's practically everything you're not and then some. So I guess I owe you a huge thanks! Thank you, Jessika, honestly. Thank you so much for leaving me and fucking up my life for just a little while. It was absolutely the best thing you've ever done for me."

With the smirk holding steady, he graciously bowed to her, laughed hard, and turned towards his bedroom.

"FUCK OFF, BEN SOLO!" she spat, her eyes widen at his final denial of her.

With that, he closed the door to his bedroom but not before letting out one last throaty laugh._ How does it feel to finally be on the receiving end of a broken-heart? Karma can be such a fucking bitch!_

The heavenly smell of freshly baked New York everything bagels wafted through the taxi Rose and Rey were sharing. As heavy sleet pelted against the vehicle, rumbling like coins dropping from the heavens, it was all Rey could do not to reach into the bag and start eating one.

"I can literally hear your stomach growling over the sleet, girl!" Rose chirped. She then handed Rey an apple. "Here, at least eat this for me now before you go to his place."

"But I want to eat breakfast with him, Rose. she replied, accepting it. "That was the whole point of picking up the bagels. They're his absolute favorite."

Rey looked out of the window and took in the sight of the mess New York had turned white overnight. Plows worked furiously, trying to remove the wintry mix. Considering it was the last two days of October, Rey was shocked bit's assault, but nonetheless, she was also thrilled. 

Upon waking, she'd retrieved a message from her phone saying the office was closed for the day. Her plan was a surprise visit to Ben's place. Knowing he didn't go into work later in the morning, she was overly excited to grab a few hours with him.

Rose cocked her head to the side and laughed. "Right, like you two are really going to eat. Just eat the damn apple."

Shaking her head, Rey took a bite. "We are going to eat....." she paused, drawing up a mischievous brow. "....and then I plan to send him into work a very, very happy boy....after I allow him to fear on other delectable items." 

Both women giggled. Not even realizing how hungry she truly was, Rey finished the entire apple.

"Ugh, I'm so jealous you have the day off!" Rose grunted as she stretched her arms. "Maybe I'll come work at Naboo Inc."

"You'd be miserable. You love working at the art gallery."

"I could go into the marketing part of it." Rose shrugged and reached into the bag of bagels. She snatched one out and took a bite. "On second thought, you're right. I'd be miserable. I don't do confined places very well." Rey just shook her head. "Hey, buddy!" Rose quickly called out the driver. "I get off at the corner here. You might wanna slow down there, considering the streets are covered in potential death."

The gruffy-looking driver just rolled his eyes at this remark. "I got you to your destination on time." he clipped, pulling over in front of Rose's workplace. "You're still alive, so no worries. That's $22.50. Without tip."

Rose rolled her eyes right back. She then started digging in her purse. "Yeah, yeah, I know how it works, pal. Keep the change." She said as she handed him $30. His smile widened. Pulling her purse strap over her shoulder, Rose turned to Rey and kissed her cheek. "Okay, so other than eating breakfast and then fucking the absolute shit out of your millionaire boyfriend before he goes into work, what are your plans for the day?"

Rose's statement seemed to pique the interest of the driver., who was now smirking at them through the rearview mirror.

Rey's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide. "Jesus Christ, Rose!"

"Well it's the truth, isn't it?" she pointed out. "And you'll get in a decent amount of time with him, considering he's just right around the corner from here. So fuck, fuck, fuck, away, friend. Fuck him till his goddamn balls are blue and he's hung."

"Okay, I'm officially ending this conversation right now." Rey all but pushed out of the taxi at this point. She then leaned over to Rose to open the door for her. "Get out of here, you psycho!"

Laughing, Rose hopped out of the cab, nearly slipping on the slickened sidewalk. "Get food shopping done at least while you're out."

"Yes, I'll do the food shopping. I won't see you until later tonight. I have some other errands to run, and then I'm meeting up with Ben at his office at five. We're going out to dinner to try to figure out this whole mess with Poe."

Poking her head back into the taxi, Rose cupped Rey's chin, her eyes soft. "And it's a wonderful mess to try and figure out. Don't ever forget that."

She planted another quick kiss on Rey's forehead, ducked out of the vehicle and closed the door. Sighing, Rey watched her make her way into the gallery. Less two minutes later, it was Rey's turn to dig into her purse and pay the driver for the short distance. Cautiously, she slipped out of the taxi and graciously thanked him.

The door attendant swiftly made his way over, offering his hand to help her navigate the slush-riddled sidewalk. Digging into her purse once again, she went to tip him, but he waved her off, explaining that he was more than happy to help.

After thanking him, she shuffled into the lobby and headed for the elevators. On her way up, she couldn't help but recall what previous times in this very elevator felt like. This time, though a steady flutter of butterflies tickled her stomach, she was relaxed.

After making her way down to the hallway towards Ben's penthouse, Rey rang the doorbell. That relaxation she had just been experiencing suddenly turned into a mixture of shock and confusion whenever the door swung open.

With her heart pounding in her chest---its speed that of a jackhammer--her eyes swept over the young woman who had opened the door wearing nothing but a sweater and lace panties.

Over her rapid breathing and sweat-soaked body, Rey managed to get out the words. "Who are you?"

With the tilt of her head, Jessika eyed Rey up and down with distaste. "I'm Jessika. Who the hell are you?"


	17. Chapter 17

Somewhere in the back of Rey's mind, Ben's comment at the baseball game flooded her psyche._ Jessika Pava---his ex-fiancé!_

A writhing ball of hurt immediately tore through Rey's stomach when she realized who she was. Ben had made her feel as though she stood a chance with him, but when she really didn't. She couldn't compete to the greatest love of his life---the women he'd loved enough to want to marry.

Without saying another word, Rey quickly turned and headed for the elevators. She wouldn't talk to him. Pride kept her feet moving and kept the moving fast.

"HEY!" Jessika called out. "Are you going to answer my question or not? Who are you?"

"Apparently, I'm no one. I had the wrong address, I'm sorry." She answered, badly wanting to cry. 

Wanting to know that she wasn't numb. That she was still feeling. As it turned out, she needn't worry if she'd lost her ability to feel, because her heart was crushed like a pressed flower in a tattered book. She felt every bit of this pain.

Her body tired desperately not to let go of the contents of her stomach. Her spirit felt defeated, broken and torn--the assault brought on by a man she'd been naïve to trust. Worse, she was naïve enough to believe that he actually loved her. 

By the time the elevator reached the main floor, despite her best efforts to contain it, Rey's stomach decided to fight back, releasing all the small amount of food it held. Right there in the middle of the crowded lobby, she dropped the bag of bagels as she dry-heaved repeatedly throwing up.

Embarrassed, her brain faintly registered a woman gasping in shock. Cupping her hand over her mouth, Rey fled from the building. The icy-cold air shocking her system offered no reprieve to her sweating flesh.

As the heart of the world hummed around her with commuters walking down the packed city streets, Rey fought to gather her senses and swallow her pain. However, her wounds rang loud, like the rushing winds screaming in the wintry storm around her.

Clutching her purse, she found herself walking, her thoughts wholeheartedly derailed. She made her way into a diner around the corner and took a seat at a table, her hands trembling--and not from the frigid temperature.

Peeling off her sleet-beaded coat, she ran her fingers through her wet hair, and it was then that she completely lost it. The tears flowed steadily down her cheeks as she tried to make sense of what'd just happened.

She tried to make sense of her toxic, muddied perception of who Ben Solo made himself out to be in front of her. In her eyes, he was the master of trickery, delivering nothing but words tainted with lies and betrayal.

The long road they were supposed to travel together was now riddled with the pieces of her broken heart--pieces he strategically placed for her to trip and fall over. He was practically everything she wanted, and apparently, she was nothing ne needed. 

Nothing. 

He'd shown her what she really was to him; just another void filler. Rey didn't know how long she sat in that diner crying, completely uncaring of patrons whispering or staring in her direction.

By the time she hailed a taxi back home, she was beyond torn, her heart feeling as it'd been put through a grinder. Eyes blurry from the tears, she made her way into her bedroom, rid herself of her soaked clothing, and changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants.

After brushing her teeth, she moved into the living room and sank down onto the couch, her body still trembling. Ben had stabbed her square in the heart.

He'd carefully ripped through her chest, exposing the pulsing red tissue with his lies, and no amount of sutures could close the wound. She'd surrendered who she was for who she thought she ought they could be together.

Nevertheless, none of it was real; it was all just an illusion of her making.

She'd trusted him and thought she had decoded him. But the truth was rather simple, she'd been Ben's puppet for a night, and she had danced to the beautiful melodies that he had played. However, she would never allow him to hurt her again. Never.

Throughout the day, she ignored numerous texts from him, proclaiming how excited he was to see her later that evening. He called once, but she sent it straight to voicemail;. Without even listening to the message, she deleted it.

It was obvious to her he didn't know he'd been caught in the act, and all it did was sicken her further. As her mind continued to wrap itself around everything, a subdued knock came at the door, temporarily pulling her from the nightmare Ben's lies had created.

Upon opening git, her heart suffered another devastating blow as her eyes met Poe's. He wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow.

She wanted so badly to ask what he was going here, but the words froze on her tongue as the stretching silence between them enveloped the room.

His words came out soft and reluctant as he stared into her tear-soaked eyes. "Please....talk to me."

Unable to move, she just stared at him without a coherent thought able to pass through her lips. He tentatively lifted his arm, placing an uneasy hand on her cheek, and wiped away her tears.

Her feet remained planted to the ground, but she broke out in a hysterics as her body and mind fell apart under the pressure of loving two men. Poe reached out to steady her, his hands gripping her arms tightly as he pressed his forehead against hers.

She stumbled back, and the sound of the door closing echoed through the apartment.

"Rey, I'm so sorry, baby." Dropping down to his knees, Poe circled his arms around her waist, pressing his face against her stomach as he too, began to cry. Rey shook even more, the ache in his voice and his crying nearly killing her. "Baby, I swear, I'm going to get help! I'm going to stop drinking, Rey! God, please, I can't lose you, baby! I just fucking can't!"

Rey believed, without any intervention, that she was losing her mind. At one point, Poe was the reason she was still alive, but here and now, she was one of the two reasons that she felt as thought she wanted to die.

She didn't want to give him any power through her tears, and the worse part was that the man down his knees actually loved her. Ben, on the other hand had tried, tested and tortured her with his cruel and lying tongue, but her heart still ached for him.

Her mind was firing off conflicting throughs in very direction. There'd been a time when Poe was pictured perfect, but that had shattered, and all that was left were fractured pieces---a collage of what he'd once been in her world.

As she struggled to stay afloat in the poisoned waters the day had sunk her in, she knew she couldn't deal with any of it.

Backing away cautiously, she looked down to him. "I can't....I can't talk about this right now." she whispered, her body trembling. "You have to go, Poe. Please, you have to leave."

Still on his knees, he buried his face in his hands. His sobs piercing Rey's ears sent a shiver down her very spine. "Rey, please! I won't make it without you, I won't! I'll fucking kill myself if you leave me!" 

He rose to his feet, his whole body shaking as he stepped towards her. He lifted his hands to cup her dampened cheeks. My God, baby, please just give me another chance! Look at yourself! You're just as fucked up about this, over us as I am! Don't you see, we need each other?!"

Why didn't he just leave? Didn't he fucking understand that all she wanted was to be left alone right now! How fucking hard was that for him to understand?! Just go! LEAVE!"

As she grabbed his wrists, he leaned his forehead against her, his eyes intense. "Let me make this good. Let me make this better between us! I was fucking drunk, Rey! You know I would never have touched you if I weren't! I never would have, babe!"

"P-Please, Poe!" she stammered, shaking her head at him. "You have to leave! I can't do this---"

"Nom baby, please just listen to me!" he cried with his forehead still pressed against hers. "I kept thinking about the very first time that I kissed you. I kept thinking about the first time we ever made love. Do you remember that?! God, I'll never take you for granted again, Rey! Please!"

She went to speak, but he wouldn't let her, Instead, he crushed his lips to hers. She tried to back away, but he moved his hands to the nape of her neck, tears flowing from his eyes as he continued with his please.

"Do you remember what your parents told us? You know before the accident happened, Rey?"

Now she pulled away. Her eyes narrowed while her sobs became even harder. She tried to catch her breath, but all she really wanted to catch her and smack the living shit out of him. 

"Don't you dare bring them into this, Poe Dameron! Don't you fucking dare!"

He stepped forward, once again placing his shaky hands on her cheeks. "They told us to take care of each other. They told us to stick through whatever uphill battles life throws at us and to never give up on our relationship! This is my battle, and you're just going to leave me like this, Rey? Let me fix it!" he whispered, sniffling. "I can fix it and make us better again! I can bring us back to where we used to be!"

She stared at him for a long moment. The tears streaming down her face felt like acid burning into her flesh. Before she could answer him, the sound of keys jingling in the door ripped their gaze from each other. Rose walked into the apartment, the shock on her face palpable.

"And what the hell are you doing here, Dameron?!" She spat, her eyes hardening at the sight of Poe standing in her kitchen.

Running his hands through his hair, he backed away from Rey, his voice heated. "Don't even fuck with me right now, Rose!"

"Let me tell you something you low-life piece of shit!" She answered, sauntering over to him, her body movements and tone showing she was in no away intimidated by him. "If you don't get the fuck out of my apartment right now, I'm fucking calling the cops! And just to fuck with you further!" she hissed, ramming her finger into his chest. "I'll make sure to sic my father's best friend---who happens to be a fucking district attorney on your ass!"

Mentally depleted and her stomach twisting into knots, Rey ran into the bathroom, landing on her knees in front of the toliet. Her body vicously retched up bile as tears soaked her eyes.

"You're a goddamn fucking asshole, you know that!" Rose screamed at Poe, making her way into the bathroom. He followed closely behind her. She hovered over Rey, holding her hair away from her face. "Look what you fucking do to her! Now get the hell out of here!"

"Poe, please..." Rey managed as her body continued its assault, the acrid taste in her mouth stinging her tongue. "I'll call you later--just please leave." 

He stepped into the bathroom, reaching to help hold Rey's hair, but Rose swatted his arm away. "JESUS, did you hear what she just fucking said?! Leave now, Poe!"

He scrubbed his hands over his face, stared at Rose for a second, and with his shoulders slumped and eyes downcast, he walked of the apartment. The door slamming behind him made Rey jump.

Standing, she leaned against her the wall and tried to catch her breath. Rose gently took her arm and helped her to the sink. Turning it on, Rose soaked a washcloth under cool water and ran it across Rey's face as she continued to sob uncontrollably.

After brushing her teeth, Rey swung open the medicine cabinet, her hands shaking as she skimmed over several medications. She was looking at one in particular---a bottle of Valium her doctor back in Georgia had prescribed her after her parent's car accident.

She filled a plastic cup with water and popped a pill into her mouth, hoping that it would temporarily drag her from this nightmare. She made her way back into the living room. 

Falling onto the couch, she covered her eyes with one arm and tried to compose herself. She'd remember this feeling this way only three days in her life; the day her parent's died in the car crash, the day of their wake, and the day of their burial.

Rey's nerves were shot and sizzled beyond comprehension. All she wanted to do was fade away.

Rose sat down next to her and lifted Rey's legs over her lap, her voice riddled with concern. "God, Rey, I can't believe that he actually came here! Are you all right?" Without removing her arm from her face, Rey nodded. Rose sighed, rubbing her hand against Rey's leg. "God, wait until Ben finds out about this shit! He's going to freak out!"

Rey said nothing---he could find out all he wanted, didn't mean she would care---the fucking prick! _God, I hate him! God, I love him! God, help me I don't know what to do right now!_

Rose then looked down at her watch and said. "Shit, it's already after five! Aren't you supposed to meet him at his office?"

"No, I'm not going there." she choked out, beginning to cry yet again!"

Rose's brows knitted together, confused about what was really going on here. "Rey, hon, what's wrong?"

"When I got to his place this morning, Jessika opened the door." she sobbed, rising from the crouch. She walked into the kitchen, shaking her head, still unable to process everything. "She was barely dressed. And the fucking bastard had the nerve to call and text me all day long!"

Rose jumped up from the couch, her eyes wide. "Holy fucking shit! WHAT?!"

"I don't understand it, Rose." she sniffled, reaching for a napkin. She blew her nose. "I feel like such an asshole---like a complete fool! He used me!" She tossed the napkin into the garbage and sat down at the kitchen table, her hands covering her face. Rose pulled up a chair and stroked Rey's hair away from her shoulder. "I know now what it was though, Rose. He couldn't have me from the beginning, and I became some sick, twisted game for him to conquer and play with."

"Have you talked to him yet?"

"Hell no, I haven't talked to him, and I'm not going to!"

"Well, I'm calling the dick right now! I can't believe this!" she huffed, rising from her seat. Setting off at a brisk pace, she yanked her purse off from the couch and cursed under her breath.

"No, Rose! I don't want you calling him! He'll just come here, and I don't to see him nor can I deal with anymore right now!"

She pulled out her phone, essentially ignoring Rey. She glanced down at it. "Well...it looks like I don't have to call him after all." 

Rey wiped her nose against the back of her hand. "What do you mean?"

"Well considering that I have four missed calls and two texts from him." Rose studied them, her eyes widening. "He's on his way here now."

"What?!" Rey hopped up and walked over. She grabbed Rose's phone and looked over the messages.

**5:20PM**

**I've called and left a few texts for Rey. Have you talked to her? I haven't heard back from her at all. The ever impatient and nervous**

**BOS**

_Oh, fuck me fifty shades of black and blue! No, no, he can't fucking come here! I don't want him here!_

**5:25PM**

**Forget it. I just talked to Hux, and he said that Poe flew back early. I'm on my way over to your apartment. Leaving my office now!**

**BOS**

"I guess you're talking to him tonight after all, Rey."

"No! I can't deal with him right now!" Rey paced the room. Even with the Valium working through her system, her nerves were still so restless. "Between Poe coming here and everything that's happened today, I just can't, Rose!"

"Well, what are you going to do?" Rose asked, her voice soft. She walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "He sent that text twenty minutes ago. Even with traffic, he'll be here any minute." 

"Well, then tell him I'm sick or something!"

"Friend, If I talk to him, I'm going to literally fucking lose it! I love him to absolute death, but I'm so pissed at him right now, there's no possible way I could hold back on beating the shit out of him! Then he'll know everything and still come talk to you!"

Without hesitation, Rey crossed the room, plucked her cell off the counter, and quickly sent him a text.

**5:35PM**

**I'm fine, Ben. I'm home sick in bed.**

**REJ**

His texting came relatively quickly.

**5:36PM**

**I wish you could've just told me that, sweets. I could've taken care of you all day. Be there in five! I'm right around the corner. Do you need me to pick you up anything? I love you!**

**BOS**

Shaking her head in disgust, she tried to sniffle a sob, but it was no use. As her hands trembled, she texted him back.

**5:37PM**

**Don't come here, Ben. I'll talk to you another time**

**REJ**

His text didn't come as fast this time. Rey started to get nervous, but nevertheless, he eventually answered her back.

**5:43PM**

**What's going on, Rey? Is Poe there with you? I already know he's back.**

**BOS**

"Jesus Christ, he thinks Poe's here with me right now!" she let out, wiping tears from her face. "What do I do now?!"

Rose laughed. "Rey, you have to just face the music and talk to him." 

"Rose, I'm not fucking talking to him right now! What do I text him back?"

Rey didn't wait for her answer. Instead, she panicked and texted him what she had hoped would work----_God, I fucking hate this!_

**5:44PM**

**I'm not home right now**

**REJ**

"Well..." Rose said. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I wasn't home right now!" She tossed her phone onto the table; the thought of smashing it into pieces became more appealing by second. "Now, he won't come by here!"

"Oh my fucking, God, Rey! With that little lie he's definitely coming here!"

"Why would he show up thinking I'm not even home, Rose?!" She asked defensively.

"Ben's no damn fool, that's why." Rose walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. "If anything, you just drilled into his head that Poe is here with you."

"He won't come here." she replied, sinking onto the couch.

"Friend, I'm telling you, he's coming here whether you like it or not!"

No sooner had Rose finished her sentence than a knock came at the door—and a rather hard knock at that. Heart racing, Rey hopped up from the couch and made her way over to it. She looked through the peephole to see Ben in the hallway. 

“Oh fuck me!” She whispered. 

Rose walked over over. "You see, I told you! So what the hell are you doing to do now?"

"T-Tell him that I lied about not being here! Tell him that I'm really sick in bed, sleeping and...." She paused, wiping away tears as she tried to gather her scattered thoughts. "....and that I didn't want him seeing me because I look horrible or at least something close to that!"

"Yeah? And how the fuck do I keep him from coming in here? Answer that one, hon!" Rose urgently whispered.

Ben knocked again, and Rey swore she felt as though someone were holding a gun to her head; their fingers resting neatly on the trigger, ready to fire. "I have no fucking clue, but don't say anything to him right now about what I know. I'll talk to him soon. I just can't...." Her voice trailed off. Cupping her hand over her mouth, Rey started to cry again.

"Rey, I understand, okay? I won't say anything to him. Just go in your bedroom, turn the lights off, and get into bed. I'll try my best to keep him in the hall."

With her heart in her throat, Rey did was Rose said and hastily made her way into her bedroom. Rose threw open the door, quickly stepped out into the hallway, and snapped the door shut behind her. Crossing her arms, she glared up at Ben.

Ben stared at her for a moment, his intuition eating away at his stomach. "What the hell is going on here?! Is he in there with her right now?!"

"No, he's not in there with her because if he was I'd beat his ass, Ben! She's in bed, sick and I promise you, very much alone. She just passed out from some medicine that I gave her earlier."

"First of all, she just texted me less than five damn minutes ago. Secondly, why the hell did she change her story all of a sudden?!"

"Well, you know she has a very low tolerance for any kind of meds. And, like I said, Solo, I gave it to her a good half hour before she texted you." Rose drew in a deep breath. "To address her changing her story at random, let's just say she's had a painstakingly tough day, and looks like shit! She didn't want you to see her like that!"

The corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. "Do I look like some kind of fucking moron to you, Rose?" he blurted out, garnering a surprised look from her. "Because If I do, you're sorely mistaken! If she's in there trying to work shit out with him, the least she could fucking do is tell me that instead of fucking lying about it!"

"I just fucking told you he's not here! You've known me long enough to know I'm not a conniving, sneaky little liar, Ben." Sighing melodramatically, she looked down at her nails. "It's quite a damn shame that I can't say the same thing about certain people that I know."

Although confused by it, Ben could tell that there was more behind Rose's statement. However, he was definitely going to make sure that he wasn't being played. Waking right past her, he reached for the front door and walked in. With his heart thumping erratically, hitting the pit of his stomach, he scanned the living room for Rey. 

"I told you she's in bed sleeping!" Rose said insistently.

The word bed reverberated through Ben's head like a drum-roll as a wave of nausea crept over him. Without thinking---and feeling quite like the certified paranoid psychopath that he was convinced he was turning into---Ben bolted down the al toward Rey's bedroom.

"Holy shit! What the fuck are you doing, Solo?!" Rose let out, following right behind him. "She's sleeping!"

Hoping to God that Rey wasn't lying, he slowly opened Rey's door. With only the faintest light spilling into her room from the kitchen--indeed showing Rey alone in her bed---Ben was sure his sigh of relief that seared from his lungs and passed through his lips had awoken her.

He pulled in a heavy breath, leaned against the doorway, and plowed his hands through his thick mane of hair.

"You see?! She's sleeping, Ben. Just like I told you." Rose whispered. "Now come on, she doesn't feel good right now." 

Ben felt like a total asshole for not believing the woman he was supposed to trust. He couldn't leave though. He felt frozen as his ears soaked in the sound of her shallow breathing--he breathing of the woman he'd repeatedly said that she loved him less than twenty-four hours ago.

By God, he adored and loved her, but even if only for a beat, he'd doubted what she'd just told him through the text. He didn't intend to wake her, but he needed to touch her. He needed to feel some part of his angel's body.

Against Rose's pleas, Ben found himself moving across the room. He approached the bed, where Rey lay with her back toward him. He out a bittersweet smile form on his lips as his fingertips lightly brushed through her hair. He leaned over her, his movements careful so as not to wake her as he grazed the side of her jaw with his knuckles.

"I love you, Rey." he whispered before he softly kissed the back of her head. "I just wish I were here today to take care of you, doll."

That was all he needed---just that little bit---and he knew he'd be able to sleep through the night. With her breathing increasing from his wanted and unwanted touch, Rey's head screamed: _You infuriate me; you disgust me; you've shattered me_, while her heart cried out,_ Please stay; I need you in my life; we're supposed to be amazing together._

A hot tear trickled down her cheek as her fingernails dug into her clenched fists. But she didn't move. She was still until she heard him leave the room. Rose walked him out of the apartment---and out of her life.

Releasing the breath she had held from the moment he'd walked in, Rey turned over. Through tear-flooded eyes, she took in Rose's silhouette just outside her bedroom door.

Rose went to walk in, but Rey spoke up. "I just need to be left alone." she cried out. "Okay? I'm......I'm so story that I put you through that, Rose. I'm so sor-sorry." she shuddered through her cries. "Thank you so much. But I just can't....I ca-can't talk about it!"

"Are you sure you'll be all right, Rey?" Rose whispered, her voice thick with concern. "I'm supposed to meet with Finn in a little while. I could stay home if you really need to me to."

Sniffling, Rose shook her head. "No, you go on. Go and have a good time, Rose. I'll be okay."

Rose stood there for a second, let out a heavy sigh, and then slowly closed the door. In the pitch dark, Rey curled the blankets tightly around her trembling body, her head trying to absorb the wicked day that'd been cast upon her. Sleep. She needed sleep like she needed oxygen, water, and food---yes she was pretty sure she wouldn't find any tonight.

No. Sleep wouldn't bee her friend this evening. Instead, loneliness, hurt, confusion, and pain would replace it.

**********

He called her and left a few messages. Nothing. He texted a couple of times. No reply. Sitting at his desk in his office at First Order Holdings, Ben picked up his phone for what seemed to be the hundredth time that morning.

Placing it back down, he leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers beneath his chin as he carefully assessed the disturbing feelings that were taking root in his head. Something was seriously wrong. Even if Rey was still sick, he knew he should've hear from her by now.

However, the calmer side of his brain told him to just relax. There could be several reasons why she hadn't gotten back to him yet. Considering she had missed a day of work; it was quite possible that she was busy to catch up on other obligations. 

Yes, that's what he would go with for now.

Nevertheless, as the morning dragged on, blurring into the late afternoon, Ben was sure he was just trying to convince himself that was nothing wrong. Though his physical body was forced into several business meetings with Snoke, his mind was in no way present during any of them.

His thoughts became consumed by sickening scenarios that clenched around his heart with every passing minute that he didn't hear back from her.

After completing a conference call with a potential client, he rose from his seat and moved across his office, wondering just what the fuck was going on. Peering down at the chaotic streets as rush hour crept over Manhattan, he decided to shoot Rey another call.

Before he could, his secretary's voice traveled through the intercom, cutting clear through his troubled thoughts. "Mr. Solo, you have a Poe Dameron here to see you."

Turning around, Ben stared at his office door. Although a steady stream of adrenaline rocked through his system, his demeanor showed nothing but calm. Before he answered her, he slowly walked back over to his desk and, with hurried movements, he peeled his suit jacket from this body and laid it across his chair.

In the same breath, he loosened his tie and casually rolled up his shirtsleeves. His every male instinct screamed that his friend knew and Rey were together, and Ben had a feeling this completely unannounced visit was about to become very.....interesting.

Ben was more than aware that a jail cell might well be his sleeping quarters this evening. Drawing in a slow breath, he stretched his neck, squared his shoulders and hit the button the intercom. "Go ahead and send him in, Natalie. Thank you."

With his jaw clenched, Ben watched as Poe then entered his office, both men locking eyes the second the door closed. After a few moments of thickening tension, Poe broke the silence, his tone low but his expression hard. "What you did was completely fucked up."

Crossing his arms, Ben leaned against the desk as he stared Poe down. "Well, maybe if you treated Rey the way she's supposed to be treated, I wouldn't have done it. Did you ever think of that?"

His voice measured, but his thoughts weren't even close. Between thinking about Poe grabbing Rey and the fact that she had said something to Poe without him being there, Ben was ready to draw blood.

Poe remained as still as his tone. "I shouldn't have to think about anything, bro. You still have no fucking right doing what you did to me!"

"I might not have, but what's done is done." he stated firmly, reducing the distance between them by half. "Perhaps I need to reiterate that bit for you. If you'd treated her the way a real man treats a woman, especially one who he says he loves, maybe things would be different for you right now."

"Give me a break, man. I was drunk! I would've never touched her like that If I weren't!" he said, his eyes still glued to Ben's. "You fucking sucker-punched me! That wasn't fucking cool, man!"

Ben rubbed his chin absently. Apparently, Rey hadn't said anything about her and Ben or the beautiful night they had shared. 

"Wow, that's so original. "I was drunk", so that makes it okay? That gives you a fucking free pass?" He didn't even let Poe respond. "So let me get this straight...." He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're here to talk to shit to me because I knocked the fuck out you for manhandling Rey the way you did?"

"Yeah I am! Why the fuck else would I be here?!"

Ben decided to skirt over that particular question with one of his very own. "What the fuck are you really here for? I mean, I'm really curious to know. Because let me make myself very clear about the way I roll, Poe. If I saw you do that to a dog---let alone Rey--I still would've done the same exact fucking thing! When have you ever known me to sit back and watch a grown-ass man do that to a woman? Tell me, because I'm honestly fucking curious now---and quite amused by the whole fucking thing!"

Poe's granite expression softened imperceptibly. "Look, I really don't want to argue with you, man. I'm---"

"Oh, you don't?!" he interrupted. "It sure as fuck seems like you do! If you can't understand why I did what I did, then there's no reason for us to continue this conversation. If you're going to use that pussy excuse of you being drunk to dismiss what you did to her, then there's definitely no reason for us to continue any further!" Ben then pointed across the room. "The door's right there if you're going to play that fucking card with me!"

Poe stared at him for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "Like I said, I don't want to argue with you, Ben. I'll admit it, I messed things up, and I told Rey I'm going to make things better between us."

Ben cocked his eyes to the side, wondering exactly when they'd spoken, since Rey told him she wasn't answering any of his phone calls. He remained silent and let Poe continue.

"The problem I'm having here is that you see to have a bigger fucking problem with what happened than my own fiancée does."

"Fiancée?" Ben asked, trying to ignore the cracking in his voice and the suddenly spike in his body temperature. "She fucking broke up with you!"

"Yeah, but I talked to her, and the wedding's back on now."

Poe continued to speak, and although Ben was staring straight into his eyes, he didn't even hear him. He couldn't. Swallowing hard, Ben's ears stung from Poe's announcement, it's insidious whisper settling like acid in his lungs.

Searing pain--deep and brutal--pumped through Ben's veins, manifesting itself like a deadly cancer. Lifting his arm, Ben slowly ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"T-The wedding's back on, now?" he asked, his voice low, bleeding with confusion.

"Yeah, man, I just went through the whole thing with you. It's back on." he replied, a hint of confusion tainting his tone as well. Poe let out a breath and shook his head. "Look, I get it, okay? You're right. I shouldn't have used drinking as an excuse. Though, I remain firm that you shouldn't have hit me, I'm willing to forgive you."

"You think I need your fucking forgiveness?!" Ben snapped, still trying to recover from the hurt anchoring itself in his chest. "You have some fucking balls coming to my fucking office, telling me you're to forgive me! You're dead lucky I'm not knocking the very shit of you right here!"

"See, this is what I'm talking about right here! I'm trying my hardest to smooth things out with you, and you're acting like a fucking lunatic! What the fuck, man?!"

Ben glared at him for a long moment as flashes of Rey flooded his mind. Crossing his arms, he walked over to the window. The sun had long since made it's decent below the buildings. A full moon had taken its place. Inhaling a deeply, Ben nodded.

He was in way being benevolent, and he sure as shit wasn't forgiving Poe. His sole purpose was to end the conversation and get to Rey in whatever way that he could. Therefore, he would play the game.

He vaguely remembered her saying that she was working late at the office. Just as he had so many months ago, he would pay her an unexpected visit. However, this time he would go to her a very broken and very confused man desperately looking for answers. He just hoped that he would find then. 

"You're correct, Poe." he said, his voice so devoid of any emotion it shocked even him. "I am acting like a nut." He turned and faced him, his facial features smoothing into unreadable impassivity. "If you're able to forgive me for doing what I did, then surely I can get over what you've done to Rey."

Ben carefully watched as the guard in Poe's eyes seemed to evaporate into thing air. "Okay, so we're good here, then?" Poe asked. Crossing his arms, and without a work spoken, Ben nodded. "All right, cool." he said, looking down at his watch. "I'm going out for a couple of drinks with some buddies of mine from work. I think we could both hammer back a few after this. Why don't you tag along with me?"

"I have some very important business to attend to." he replied, his voice even. "Very, _very_ important business."

"Well, if you get done early enough, I'll be at Ainsworth Prime over in Penn Plaza."

Ben nodded, and Poe walked over to the door. "One more thing before you go, Poe." Ben said, walking across the room, his voice low. Poe turned to face him, Ben pinned him with a look, and in that moment, he knew his facial expression told all. "If you break your promise, if you ever touch her like that again, I will I promise, I'll fucking kill you with my bare hands."

Cocking his head to the side, Poe returned his glare and went to speak but didn't. He shook his head and walked out the door. As confusion rolled off his body in waves, Ben took a few minutes and tried to compose himself.

His body shook as he tried to breathe. Still in shock at what was happening around him, he moved across his office and sank into his chair. Rey's words tumbling around his head, it was no use. Composing himself as possible. His head pounded, and his vision blurred.

Rey had swallowed him whole, lied about wanting a future with him, and spit him out once Poe came back. Incapable of waiting any longer, Ben closed his eyes for a beat, inhaled, and dug his keys from his pocket. He rose from his chair and stalked from his office.

Hurt, anger, and pain tightened in his chest with every step he took. He knew it would be a few hours before Rey would leave the office, but when it did, he would be waiting for her.


	18. Chapter 18

"Rey." Evelyn said, approaching Rey's office and she was in conversation with another co-workers. "If you've finished those reports, you can go ahead and leave."

Rey lifted her eyes to him as she placed the last of her reports into her tin basket. She nodded. "Thanks, Eve."

"Hey, what about me?!" Kaydel asked, crossing her arms. Holdo had sent Kaydel two weeks after Rey left to Naboo Inc. She felt Kaydel and Rey would excel better and bring good business if they remained as a team.

"You're out of luck, Miss Connix." she chuckled. "You've managed to make a mess of your spelling."

Kaydel pouted her lips. "Come on, Eve! It's pouring raining outside, and I have no managed to make a mess of my spelling! Not to mention I've been here since six o'clock this morning doing double the work!"

Shaking her head, she mumbled something neither one of them could understand and walked away. Kaydel smirked. "I guess I should take that as a no then?"

"I'm thinking that's a safe bet." Rey quipped, rising from her seat. She stretched her neck and turned off her laptop. "Is Hux picking you up later tonight?"

"He sure is. We're going bowling together later." she replied, beaming.

"That sounds cool. Have a good time." Rey made her way over to the front lobby, she found Kaydel beside her, her face filled with concern. Rey looked at her suspiciously. What was she up to now?

Twirling her dirty-blonde hair between he fingers, Kaydel hesitated. "Hux told me that you took Poe back."

"I did. We managed to work things out." she replied, grabbing her jacket off the coat rack. "Why are you bringing it up now?"

"Well, I didn't want to upset you during your shift." said Kaydel with a shrug.

"Why would that upset me?"

Kaydel cocked an incredulous brow at this remark, shocked. "Come on, Rey. I know what happened between you and Ben--what's still happening."

Rey tried to ignore the pang of hurt in her chest whenever she heard his name, but it was no use. It ricocheted through her system. She slipped on her jacket and gave Kaydel a questioning look. "How do you know what happened between us?"

Kaydel blinked her brown eyes and shrugged. "Rose told me."

"Of course she did." She sighed and headed towards the door. She zipped up her jacket, slung her purse over her shoulder, and sighed again. "Well, don't worry, I'm fine." she said softly, lying as smoothly as she could.

She wasn't fine. In fact, she was far from it. She was a mess, and by the look on Kaydel's face, she was pretty sure that Kaydel could tell. Kaydel approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Why are you even marrying him, Rey?"

Rey's features morphed into that of complete shock. "Kaydel." she out, exasperated. "what do you mean why am I marrying him? I love him, of course!"

"Well, I think the question is pretty straightforward here." She dropped her hand. "Why are you marrying him when you're clearly in love with Ben?"

Bewildered by the breakneck pace of their conversation, Rey figured she would answer as truthfully as she could. "Well, I think the answer's pretty straightforward, Kaydel. I'm marrying the man who loves me. I'll talk to you later, okay?" she said, setting off at a brisk pace towards the door.

"Rey, wait!" Kaydel called out.

Rey held up a silencing hand and reached for the door. She opened it, and her breath caught Ben's brilliant copper-amber eyes locked onto hers. Shock rushed through her limbs, settling like heavy steel in her chest.

She stared at him leaning against his car, uncaring in the cold rain pelting down around him. With his arms crossed, Ben's eyes racked over from head to toe, and if Rey wasn't mistaken, they showed something akin to anger. Momentarily, confusion crossed her features, but it faded as anger of her own set in.

Though she didn't want to deal with any bullshit excuse he was about to spew out of his mouth, there was no hiding this time. She needed to face this--face him.

Pulling in a quick breath, she gathered her nerve, composed herself and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Ah, there she is. The girl who's smashed my fucking heart to pieces." he said, his voice loud and menacing over the pounding of the rain. "Was that your sole purpose--breaking my heart? Because if so, you've thoroughly accomplished that!"

"How fucking dare you say that to me!" she yelled, her anger welling, bubbling deeper now.

"How dare I say that?! I was nothing but a fucking reprieve for you while he was gone!" He stepped forward, flinging his hands aloft in complete surrender. "Is this some kind of fucking joke to you?!" He laughed with no hint of amusement. "I took that pretty face of yours for many things, Rey, but a sick little plater wasn't one of them!"

Rey's mouth hung agape. The frigid rain had nothing on the tenacity he had showing up and accusing her of being a player. That alone had nearly frozen in disbelief. However, she decided to remain quiet. If he wanted to play games, she would allow him, but she would win at the end.

Something inside her screamed to let him bury himself. She crossed her arms as defiance shimmered in her eyes, inviting him to his own funeral. And Ben would take the bait because the look in her eyes nearly drove him mad. Though she'd ripped his soul from within his body, not touching her wasn't an option.

Not kissing her was impossible. He had to kiss her right there as the rain fell around them. Ben moved to her with the fluency of a tiger attacking its prey.

Before Rey could stumble back he captured her by the waist and brutally crushed his lips over hers, his tongue parting them while she tried to push him away.

For a second, she could taste his anger, aggravation, and possessiveness--and, damn him, if it didn't confuse and piss her off even more. As he sucked in the rain clear off her bottom lip, lightning flashed, cracking to the earth in the distance.

"Are you fucking crazy, Ben?!" she hissed, jerking her head back as she tried to wiggle out of his hold.

"Am I crazy?! Like a damn fool, I had a faith in you---in us!" he growled, his voice rising, barely controlled her gripped her waist. He looked into her eyes, watching beads of water trickle along her lashes and down her cheeks. "When did you take him back, Rey? Answer me that fucking question!"

Puddles pooled around their feet, and rain-soaked commuters dashed past them. She stared at hi, her heart pounding with mutiny bold in her eyes. "I took him back about an hour after you left my apartment!" she hissed, her voice malicious in her attempt to cut every piece of him to shreds. She tried to pull away, but he held her firmly in place. "I took him back an hour after you brazenly hovered over me and told you loved me!"

Glaring at her, his hand came around the nape of her neck as he pulled her face within inches of his, her noses brushing. She felt his hot breath fan over her cold cheeks as her chest rose and fell. "You---you mean were awaken when I was there?"

"Oh, I was awake and very well, as a matter of fact!" She laughed maniacally, her words dripping with rage. 

Ben couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing. Surely, this wasn't the same woman he was with only a few fights before. He'd hear of people deemed temporarily insane, and in this very moment, he was completely ready to drive her straight to the nearest psychiatric ward.

No. Questions. Asked. 

"How seriously twisted can you be?!" he growled, his expression thunderous. She went to speak, but he cut her off. "Did you fuck him last night, Rey?!" 

Her breath hitched, and her body heated as he tilted her head back, his hand fishing in her hair. He grazed his lips over the corner of her mouth.

He slowly slid them to her ear, the light stubble on his face brushing against her flesh, his voice a hot whisper.

"And if you did fuck him last night, let me ask you, did he feel as good inside that beautiful pussy as I did?! Was he able to make you beg for more the way I can?!" He gently nipped her earlobe, nearly melting her right there. "And one final question for you, doll. Did you come as hard for him as you came for me the other night!?"

As the fierce downpour assaulted the pavement, her eyes narrowed, her heart exploding with grief and anger all at once. He loomed over her, their drenched clothing clinging against their bodies, their breathing heavy. "He made me come even harder!" At this, Ben, looked shocked--hurt, even--but it didn't stop her. "He felt just as awesome inside of me as your dick felt buried inside of Jessika!"

Ben reared back. "What are you talking about?"

"Jessika." she clarified slowly, her voice venomous. "I came to surprise you yesterday morning with breakfast, and it turned out the surprise was on me instead! It looked like you already ate! Your sheets were still warm from the two of us, and she opened your door practically naked! Give me a fucking break!" 

She watched as his expression shifted to one of unease. Ben knew her eyes were the enemy, betraying her in so many ways, bur he also knew his actions by letting Jessika in had caused the battle. God help him if this was a battle he was about to lose Rey over.

Tread. He knew he had to tread lightly. The woman before him was broken and hurt, but his mind was frozen. He couldn't seem to formulate his words quickly enough.

His lack of speedy reply seemed to confirm what Rey knew to be true. He knew he'd been caught, and he had no idea of what to say. Before ben could register what happened, Rey brought her hand up and smacked him hard across his face, the sound pitching over the pelting rain.

He staggered back slightly--completely stunned.

"You fucking bastard!" she yelled, uncaring of passerby watching their heated exchange. She glared daggers at him and went to smack him again, but his hand darted forward and caught her wrist.

"You have to listen to me, Rey--and then afterwards, you can decide to hit me if you want!" he breathed, his voice firm. She tried to yank her wrist away, but he pulled her into his chest. With his free hand, he smoothed the wet hair away from her face. "She was already gone by the time I got out of the shower. I had absolutely no idea that you were even there!"

Rey's eyes widened as she tried yet again to pull away again! Realizing that he had just dug himself even deeper with that confessed, Ben tried to correct his previous statement. _Smooth, Solo. Real smooth!_

"No, wait! Fuck! FUCK! It's not all what you think?!"

Rey was still trying to free herself from his grasp, tears spilling from her eyes. "Is that really the best you could come up with?!" she huffed, affecting a wicked sneer.

Trapped. She felt trapped under the glare of those beautiful brown eyes of his, and she wasn't about to let him suck her back under their spell.

"You're out of your mind if you really think I'm falling for that one! You can't just lie your way back into my heart, Ben! I hate what you did to me, what you did to us, and most of all I fucking hate you!" 

Part of her froze when those words tumbled from her mouth because she didn't hate him. She couldn't hate him no matter how hard she tried. She still loved him--loved him clear enough to the bottom of her very soul.

However, everything she knew he stood for from the second she'd met him was everything he'd proven himself to be. A liar.

Ben recoiled as though she'd hit him again. His heart sank as shock shift to the realization that he may have lost her---and losing her meant he would lose himself.

"You don't hate me, Rey. You love me." he choked out, trying not to hide the pain that was ready to crush him. Lifting his arms, he held her face between his hands, stroking the pad of his thumbs over her lips. "And, Jesus Christ, Rey, I love you with everything inside of me, with everything that I am, with everything that I'll ever be! Please! Don't leave me like this, know if I just hadn't let her in, none of this wouldn't be happening right now! She came to my house, and I shouldn't have let her in. I know I shouldn't have, but she was drunk, and her---"

"STOP!" she blurted out, shoving viscously against his chest.

It worked, because she finally freed herself from his strong hold. She then stepped out into the curb, hot, angry tears rolling down her cheeks as she flailed her arms to hail a taxi. With curtains of rain falling from the sky, her efforts went unnoticed as drivers sped past, drenching her further.

Approaching her, Ben felt light-headed, hollow, and empty. This eyes, equally dripping with hurt, bore into each others.

Bringing his arms up again, he cupped her cheeks and lowered his forehead to hers. "Please, you have to believe me!" he whispered harshly, his voice laden with pain. "She passed out on the couch. I slept in my fucking room, I even locked the fucking door so she couldn't come--and nothing, nothing at all--happened."

Now sobbing uncontrollably, Rey tried to back away, Ben moved his hands to the back of her neck, and held her in place, his forehead still pressing against hers. "I told you I'd never hurt you, and I mean every word of it. I meant every fucking. Please, don't do this to us.....please! I'm not lying to you. I'm not him, Rey. I'm not Poe."

Feeling trapped in the darkness of his gaze, Rey's heart paused as she watched tiny droplets of water prickle down his face--down to those perfect lips that had worshipped every inch of her body.

Those perfect lips that had also worshipped another woman's body after she'd left. Her tears came in a torment as the thought of what he had done hit her with a brutal force. Shaking her head, she took several steps back, her eyes glacial.

Turning around, she raised her hand to hail a taxi, and to her surprise, one pulled tight now. She reached for the handle and swung it open. Ben's hand quickly slammed against it, keeping it shut.

"Let me in, Ben!"

"No, I'm not letting you go!" he said, his voice booming. "You don't believe me?!"

"I'm not kidding! Let me in!" she commanded, the viscously of her tone startling them both.

Running his free hand through his soaked hair, Ben gritted his teeth. "You'll believe all the fucking cheap-ass lies that he tells you but on a daily basis, but you can't believe me?! Are you kidding?!"

"Oh, now you're really reaching!" She scoffed, trying to remove his hand from the door. "He's not the one who's fucking lied to me! You are!"

"Goddammit, Rey!" he snapped. Abruptly, he caught her by the waist and hauled her tight against his chest. She sucked in an indignant breath as she stared into his eyes. "Don't ever mistake my pleading with you as a weakness; I'm no fucking asshole! I told that I'm not lying, but if you think for one fucking minute, he hasn't--or that he's not---then there's seriously something wrong with you!"

"Hey!" the impatient driver called out. "is she getting in or not?!"

"Yes!"

"No!" 

They quickly yelled in union. Ben's angry eyes snapped to the driver. "No, she's not getting in! Leave, now!"

With a pissy look the man shook his head and sped off down the read, leaving the two angry-lovers still stranded out in the pouring rain. How much she wanted to kick and scream at him until he felt the same pain she was feeling--but she just bring herself to do it. 

"I can't believe you just did that!" Rey cried out, tears steaming down her face. Each one of her tears crashed around Ben's heart. She pushed against his chest, but secured her with his steely arm around her waist. "Why are you doing this to me, Ben?"

"Because I fucking love you, and I'm not lying!" he answered, his breathing ragged and harsh. "You tell me right here and now that you don't love me, and I'll walk away. I'll walk away and you'll never have to ever see me again!"

With his free hand, he tilted her neck back. He dipped his head and stared feathering his lips against her temple, down her cheek, and along the curve of her jaw. Rey couldn't help it, a light moan came from her lips.

"You'll never ever have to feel me touch you again, Rey. You'll never have to hear my voice. You'll never have to wake up to me by your side ever again! Just tell me you don't love me and I'm gone....forever!"

Rey was shaking inside, but she wouldn't show it. If she let anything slip through, she would break down, and that couldn't happen. Though every fiber of her wanted to believe him, she didn't.

This was a carefully well-thought-out skit he was trying to manipulate her with. He was an actor on a stage, perfecting his skills, and Rey was his sole audience.

Now was her turn to send his heart straight to the crematory, where hers now lay.

"I don't love you, Ben." she said, lying straight through her teeth. That like alone was literally ripping her apart. Her eyes dripped with tears as she stared up into his. "As I told you once before, I just needed to get you out of my system and I did. That's all that night meant to be."

Another lie. _God, Ben, why did you have to do it? Why did you have to let her into your apartment?! WHY?!_

However, there would be one truth that left her lips after this. One that would break Benjamin Solo completely to his core. "And I don't believe a single word you just said!"

Ben winched and held back stinging tears. Her parasitic worlds--each of them--sucked the air straight out of his. She had taken his heart, ground it up, and turned it into crimson paste right before his eyes. Struck nearly fucking speechless, he stepped back and released her from her hold. 

"Thank you for the permanent scar." he whispered, his voice broken and defeated. 

Without another word, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked over into his car. Rey cupped her mouth, a wounded cry escaping her as she watched him pull into traffic, his tires screeching against the wet pavement.

With her heart sinking into her chest, she waved a taxi over. Hands trembling, she pulled the door open, slid in, and let the driver know her destination.

Tonight, sleep wouldn't be either of their friends. Tonight, loneliness, hurt, confusion, and pain would visit both Rey and Ben.

**********

Ben tossed his phone on the couch next to him after it rang for the twentieth time that evening. Poe was fast becoming relentless at this point, and Ben didn't give a flying fuck. Finishing the last beer in a six-pack, he mindlessly flipped through the television channels.

The cool liquid slid down his throat, working its way into his body. However, the only think he could taste or feel running through his veins was Rey. No matter how hard he had tried over the last couple of weeks, Ben just couldn't remove her.

Nonetheless, he kept his promise to her. Though it desperately took every bit of self-control, he didn't attempt to contact her. Still, that didn't stop her from bleeding through every coherent thought or haunting every sleeping nightmare Ben had.

Rey had morphed into an ache unlike anything he's ever known.

The sound of the clock ticking away on the wall gained Ben's attention. He glanced at it and it pictured Rey walking out if the church, considering it was the evening of her Poe's rehearsal dinner. Ben had no desire to let Poe know that he wouldn't be attending.

None of it fucking mattered. He didn't know how much more pain his heart could possibly take, and showing up at the church or the dinner would surely sink him further. Groomsman or not, he wasn't going.

In less than twenty-four hours, the woman he loved, the woman he saw a life with, the woman he thought would hold his child in her arms one day would no longer be Rey Johnson.

She would be Mrs. Poe Dameron.

All of it was more than Ben could handle. Standing, he made his way into the kitchen with every intention of cracking into a second six-pack. It was then that a knock came at his front door. After pulling the six-pack from the refrigerator, he padded over to open the door.

Taken aback slightly off guard by his visitor, without saying a single word, he walked back into the living room and settled onto the couch.

"Jesus, Solo, you look like shit." Rose noted, entering the penthouse. "I may be wrong when I say this, and tell me if I am, but I'm pretty sure you have the funds to buy a razor blade. Has the man worth millions suddenly gone bankrupt?" 

"You never been one short in the humor department, Rose." he muttered, not looking in he direction as he continued channel surfing. "Shouldn't you be at the rehearsal dinner?"

After dropping her purse to the ground, she peeled off her coat and scarf. "As much as you should be." she quipped, flopping into a leather chair. "You weren't at the church, and you seriously don't looked dressed for the party. Come on, go take a shower, and I'll wait while you get ready. Oh, and I'll drive, since it's apparent that you've been drinking...a lot."

Shaking his head, he plucked a bottle from the six-pack, popped the top off, and took a long pull. He didn't respond, but he gave her a look that was nothing short of threatening. 

"What?" She asked in of the most innocent tones he'd ever heard. "Giving up so easily?"

"Oh, give me a fucking break here, Rose." He narrowed his eyes. "You know that I'm not going."

She cocked her head to the side, her black eyes wide. "Wow, Ben. I thought you had a little more fight in you. You're a very powerful man in ever aspect of your life except for when it comes to this? When it comes Rey, you just throw the towel in, huh?" She gave a casual shrug and crossed her legs. "Hmm, I guess I don't know you as well as I thought I did."

"Fight left in me?!" he bit out. Clicking off the television, he tossed the remote onto the glass table, it's piercing sound making Rose jump. He then rose to his feet.

"Let me ask you this, Rose. Why the fuck would I fight for someone who doesn't even love be back?! I'm completely fucked up over what happened! Believe me, you have no fucking clue the ideas that have spawned to life in my head these past few weeks, kidnapping her being one of them. I'll love that girl until the day that I die, but I'm no fucking sap! Your friend's a little more warped than I imagined!"

Rose studied him for a moment as he paced. "Warped? You do realize who opened your door showing off pretty red panties the morning after you dropped Rey off, right?" He shot her yet another icy look, but she continued. "She's ripped to pieces, Ben! You have an awfully long history of fucking women and then leaving them! My best friend's hurt because you fucked around behind her back! Did you really expect a different reaction?!"

Raking his hands through his hair, Ben squeezed his eyes shut. "For the last fucking time, I didn't fuck around her back!"

When he opened them, he could see the shock in Rose's face, but he didn't give a shit. "You may be correct on knowing me as well as you thought you did, but you do know the uncaring animal I've turned into the past few years. Why the fuck would I go to her job trying to get her back? Why would I pour my fucking out to the girl? Just for a piece of ass!"

He chuckled, but that chuckle held no humor behind it. Digging into his pocket, he pulled his cell phone out and tossed it to her.

"Damn, Ben."

"Damn, nothing. Look, in my contacts lists. There's no fucking shortage of ass eagerly available to me! It's plentiful! I can make a phone call, and I can fuck for days on end if U wanted to. Jessika came here drunk that night, telling me that her father died. Yes, maybe I shouldn't have let her in. Yes, maybe I should've thrown her out onto the street like the animal she turned me into!."

Letting out a sigh, he slowly sat back down on the couch with his elbows on his knees as he gripped handfuls of his hair.

"But I didn't." he whispered. "I didn't and now Rey's gone. The girl that I love doesn't believe me because I was stupid enough to let the girl I used to love inside my fucking house! She fell asleep on my couch with her damn pants off! I didn't want to touch her to get her out of here that night because she wasn't dressed! I didn't want my hands touching her because my hands had just touched Rey."

He lifted his head and looked directly at Rose here sat unmoving and saying nothing. Her heart felt for him, felt for Rey, felt for the both of them.

"Rose, I love Rey. Fuck, I love her enough that I would do it all over again---pain and all--just to hold her again! But I didn't do anything wrong other than let Jessika in. So, no, Rose, it has got nothing whatsoever to do with me being powerful or throwing in the towel. It has everything to do with the fact that Rey doesn't believe me....and most of all....she doesn't love me."

After a few seconds of noticeably trying to take in everything he had said. Rose stood and sat down next to him. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "She does love you, Ben. She's just---"

"Come on, Rose." he interrupted, reaching for his beer. He finished it in one gulp. "She literally told me that she didn't! Do you need me to quote her words? They're as fresh as fuck in my mind! Buzzed or not, it shouldn't a problem."

"I know what she told you." She took the empty bottle from his hand and placed it down on the table. "But I also know that she told me after you came to her that night." He went to speak, but she silenced him with a classic Rose smash of her fingers against his lips.

"She doesn't believe you right now, but she does still love you. She said those things to try and hurt you the way you hurt her. She'd been a mess, Ben." she whispered, her eyes soft. "Her nerves are completely shot. She's depressed, quiet, and throwing over the whole situation. Even though she thinks she can just remove you from her mind and mysteriously fall back in love with Poe, any time Poe's not with her, she's crying....over you."

"You say she loves me, that she's crying over me, and yet she's marrying him?" he asked, completely unconvinced.

"I know what you're thinking but---"

"Oh, do you? Because I'm not even sure I know what the fuck I'm thinking right now!" he said, rising to his feet. Beer wasn't going its job at this point. Stronger. He needed something stronger. Stalking into the kitchen, he swung the cabinet open, pulling out a bottle bourbon and a shot glass.

Rose stood up, crossing her arms. "Are you going to let me finish what I was saying here, Dick?"

"Oh so I'm a cheater and a dick now? Sure, why the fuck not?!" he replied, his tone thick with sarcasm. He filled the shot glass. After tossing it back, he smacked his lips together and looked over at her. "What kind of shit are you hanging me here, Rose? None of it makes any sense! Not one fucking iota of it does!"

Moving to the kitchen, Rose flipped her black hair to the side, and looked at Ben as if he had ten heads. "What part of this do you not fucking understand, Solo?!" Now he returned the same look, but she continued. "Poe was a safe bet when she first moved to New York and then she stumbled upon you, and as much as she tried to fight it, the girl didn't; stand a chance against you, Ben. Forget about the way you two met."

Pausing a light laugh escaped from her lips. Why the fuck was this all funny to her? Didn't she understand that he was being torn apart? He wanted to be free of this pain, of Rey, of all of it.

"You literally had her from the moment she first saw you. Believe me, I had to hear all about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Fuckable Handsome."

Ben couldn't help it, but he drew up a curious brow at that particular statement. When Rose saw this look on his face, she felt it was safe for her to continue on telling him her story--hoping he wouldn't miss a beat of it.

"After everything she went through with Poe, you became here safe bet. But now that's been ripped from her. Unfortunately, you have her thinking that Poe is indeed the safer bet here." 

"Please stop saying "safe-bet", it sounds weird." He grunted as he poured himself yet another shot, still intrigued by the nickname he never knew about. Rose sighed and rolled her eyes. "So....let me get this straight..." He leaned against the counter, a lopsided smirk on his face. "She's taking the consolation prize, which happens to be the prick who really cheated on her?"

He paused and chuckled. Though his pain remained, the alcohol was quickly catching up to him.

"Wait. Apparently, I'm the prick who created on her."

"Consolation prize?" she asked, her brows furrowed. "Is this all some sort of game to you, Ben? She's hurting!"

"Fuck no, it's not a game! It's my fucking life, and it's what should've been mine and Rey's life together!" He chucked another shot down his throat, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and slammed the shot glass down on the counter. "I'm hurting too, but let me guess, you still think I fucked around behind her back. Go ahead, tell me you don't believe me either."

"Too tell you the truth, buddy, when I first got here, no, I didn't believe you." she answered, looking to her watch. She then brought her eyes back to him. "But now I do."

"Oh, you do, huh?" He smirked, almost laughing. "And why do you believe me all of a sudden, oh mighty Queen Rose?" 

She stared at for a long moment and then grabbed a hold of her purse, coat and scarf. She then made her way over towards the door and turned back to look at him. "Because even when you were at your worse, Ben...." she whispered, her expression pained. "....you weren't as....fucked and tortured looking as you are right now."

Swaying slightly, that smirk dropped from his face as he peered over at her.

"I love you both. You're like my second brother, she's the sister that I never had." She let out a deep breath. "And it's literally killing me to see the two of you hurting the way that you are."

Tossing his hands through his hair, he perched himself on the bar stool. "So what so I do, Rose?" he asked, his voice low and his heart sinking lower. "For the first time in my life...." He hesitated and looked down at the floor. He slowly brought his gaze back to hers. "God, for the first time in my life, Rose, I don't know what to do. She doesn't believe me." 

Although he couldn't see it from across the room, Rose's eyes glassed over. Looking back down at her watch, a timid smile crept over her mouth.

"Than make her believe you, Ben. You have less than twenty-four hours to change the course of both your lives." She slung her purse over her shoulder and opened the door. "I hope to see you there."

She stepped out into the hallway. Ben then watched her pok her head back in the last second. Great, what else was she going throw at him now?!

"Oh, and if you decide to go get your girl, do yourself and humanity a favor and shave....please! You're definitely a cutie, but honestly, I'm so not digging the whole five o'clock shadow thing you've got going on right now." 

Ben let out a deep sigh. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, there is." she replied, tapping her finger against her cheek. "Drop the whole jeans-and-sweatshirt thing you got going on here, too. Love you, brother!"

Ben just shook his head and watched as she closed the door behind her. Time. Tonight, time wasn't on his or Rey's side. Staring at the clock again, Ben sat there for a few minutes. His mind completely rocked from the conversation.

He sat there for a few more minutes, trying---and failing---to make sense of everything spinning through his head. Though his unease at the thought of never being with Rey again grew, gnawing at his stomach, the thought of showing up, only to get turned down again, made him realize the decision he was about to make was for the best.

There was no denying he needed her. He needed her like his veins needed blood and his lungs needed air. However, this time around, Ben would rather suffocate than have to look Rey in the eyes and hear those venomous words again. He wouldn't go tonight.

And just like that, Ben knew he'd change the course of his and Rey's lives forever.


	19. Chapter 19

Teetering. Though a few weeks had gone by, Rey was teetering on a very fine line between sanity and madness.

She felt as though she were made of glass, and a small hammer--held in the hand of each man--was chipping away at her. She was sure that any given second she would shatter into a million jagged pieces. The larger pieces---representing Poe--cut into her flesh. The smaller pieces---Ben--stuck under her skin.

Either way, both were slicing into her heart, leaving her a bleeding corpse of the woman she once was.

She felt as though she were watching herself from a distance, no longer in control of her thoughts or the path that she was walking on. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't deny the small sense of relief that had washed over her when she arrived at the church to see Ben hadn't show up--yet, her ache remained for him.

A part of her knew she was being elusive. She was trying to fuse back together what'd been broken between her and Poe even though a huge amount of their relationship had crystallized into dust. Still, she needed something to hold on to--and that something was a tiny glimmer of hope that she could bring her feelings for Poe back to where they used to be.

She needed to fall back in love with him.

However, she had become a very good liar lately, playing into her own game of staunch resistance to the obvious.

She felt like the master of trickery because she knew she was trying to delude herself into thinking she could just forget about Ben. Forget ever stolen glance they shared, every accidental brush of their flesh, and every moment they had experienced together---right down to the very second when she knew that she loved him.

The force of will and string of lies she was trying to convince herself of would never be enough to keep her heart from splitting along the scars and stitches of the mess that was left.

So tonight---she stood staring at the hollow shell of the woman she had become, she wondered how far the delusion would get her into her marriage, wondered how long Ben would haunt her every waking thought, and wondered how long she could fool herself into thinking this had been the right decision.

Trying to compose herself, Rey tore her gaze from her reflection when Kaydel walked into the restroom.

"Are you all right?" Kaydel asked, making her way over to her. "Or are you still feeling nauseous?"

Rey shook her head and cleared her throat. "No, I'm okay right now." She tucked her lipstick into her purse. "Is Rose here yet? She said she was going to be here thirty minutes ago! The rehearsal dinner is about to fucking start!"

"She just texted me saying she'd be here in about two minutes." She handed Rey her purse and walked into one of the stalls. "She said she had to stop somewhere after the church, that she wouldn't be too long."

"So where did Hux go?" Rey asked, placing their purse on the counter. 

"When he got here, he realized that he didn't have any cash on him." she called out. "He ran to the nearest ATM."

Drawing in a deep breath, Rey flipped in the water and started watching her hands. It was then that Rose popped into the restroom, startling Rey who clutched her chest in fright. _Lord, she was always good for nearly giving me a damn panic attack! Jesus Christ! _

"Hey there!" she chirped, pulling off her scarf.

"And where did you have to go that was so urgent?" Rey probed and reached for the paper towel.

She plopped her belongings onto the counter and studied her reflection. She glanced nervously at Rey. "I uh...had to go and get some cash."

"Why the hell does everyone think they need cash while they're here?!" Rey asked, quirking her brow. "Everything's paid for tonight!"

“To tip the severs of course when we order all those damn drinks over at the bar, cause I know I'll be having one or two or maybe three if I'm feeling lucky tonight!” Rose shrugged. “You of all people should know that girl!”

“Oh yeah, I guess I should.” She answered absently, her voice trailing off. 

“Your head’s not where it should be. I get it.” Rey gave Rose and questionable look. “I know that Mr. Dickhead hasn’t even noticed your act here lately, since he’s consumed with working late again, but I have.” 

Rey started to speak, but Rose continued, having grown exceptionally tired of Rey’s blindness over her fiancees actions. Once an asshole, always an asshole or cheater or whatever the hell she wanted to call it.

Poe wasn’t going to change his ways—Rey could crawl on hands and knees and tell him she loved him and it still wouldn’t change the fact that he was a manipulate, myopic narcissist! 

“I have to admit I think him working late all the time is complete bullshit. But, hey, you seem to believe him, so I guess that’s all that counts, right?” 

Rey let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh God, please don't start with me about this again, Rose." She plucked her purse off from the counter. "Not now, please? I can't, and I won't do this with you again. I really will not!"

"I'm just trying to make sense of all this, Rey." Rose said, gently grabbing her elbow stopping her from walking out of the restroom. With tears welling up in her eyes, Rey looked at her. "You're in love with somebody else---yet you're marrying another man. A psycho at that! Stop. Honestly, just stop and think about what you're about to do here!"

Rey stood mute and just stared at her. Biting down on her lip and noticeably uncomfortable, Kaydel stepped out of the stall and washed her hands. She quickly dried them and reached between the two women for her purse. "You know I'm just going to leave you two alone. I'll see you guys outside."

"Rey, you don't have to do this." Rose whispered, looking back at Rey after Kaydel walked out. "Look, even if you don't believe Ben, and it's quite clear that you don't, you have have to go through with this. You don't have to marry Poe."

"But I love Poe." she answered, looking down at her feet, her tone low.

Taking Rey's chin in her hand, Rose lifted her face. "I have no doubt in my mind that you love him, Rey, but you're no longer _in_ love with him, you're in love with Ben and to think that you can just magically make yourself fall back in love with him is completely delusional, my friend."

Rey swiped a tear off her cheek with the pad of her thumb. "I-I can fall back in love with him!" She stared at Rose for a long moment and made her way over towards the bathroom door, wrenching it open. Turning around, she sniffed, and shook her head repeatedly. "I'm marrying him tomorrow, Rose. You can either support me or not--and I hope to God that you can---but I'm doing it either way!"

Before her mind could even begin to compute the conversation that'd just taken place, her eyes locked onto copper-amber ones---those mesmerizing brown that had caused her unimaginable heartbreak, confusion, and her now rapid breathing.

Literally feeling frozen, Rey couldn't move as she stared at Ben across the lobby of the restaurant.

He looked more disheveled than she could've ever imagined, but it didn't stop her body from reacting to his sensually beautiful face. That breathtakingly pained face staring back at her.

Almost instantly, she felt her heart drumming loudly within her chest, felt the tiny beads of sweat crawl across every pore of her skin, and felt every hair on her body literally stand up on end.

Although guests from several different parties floated across the lobby, their eyes never unlocked. With his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans, he slowly made his way toward her, and Rey's breath hitched in the back of her throat.

She faintly registered the sound of the restroom door closing behind her when Rose emerged.

"What is he doing here?" Rey asked in a nervous whisper.

"Well, he is apart of this wedding party. Listen, you have to talk to him, Rey...sooner rather than later."

Before Rey could even protest, Ben was standing right in front of her. With his cologne tickling her nose and his eyes intent and circled on her, she was sure she was going to pass out right where she stood.

"You look absolutely beautiful." he whispered, stepping closer.

And, God, she did. Her wavy chestnut hair falling over her white button-up blouse paired with a short red skirt and black knee-high leather boots had Ben fight for control. He was a fool to think he could've stayed away from her after what Rose had told him, so this was his last-ditch effort to get back.

Swallowing heard, Rey stepped away from him, her back pressing against Rose's chest. "Why are you even here, Ben" She nervously tore her gaze away from his, looking around for Poe. "You have to leave."

A sad smile tipped the corner of Ben's mouth, his voice low. "Well, as Rose here as already said, I _am_ in the wedding party. But I think it's quite apparent as to why I'm really here, Rey." He stepped closer. It was then that Rey smelled the hard liqour in his breath. He was drunk. "And no, doll, I'm not leaving until we've had a chance to talk. Do you understand me?"

Shocked, she didn't answer him. In fact, she had no words at all. Rey just simply stared at him.

Ben flicked his eyes in Rose's direction. "You'll keep an eye out for Poe while we have out little chat?"

Rose nodded. "I checked on my way in. There's an empty room over here." She pointed to a door adjacent to them. "You might want to make it quick, though."

Jerking away from Rose, Rey narrowed her eyes at her best friend---both shocked and angry that she would do this, especially on the evening before her own wedding. "You set this whole thing up?!" 

Rose gave her a casual shrug. After pinning Rose with a lethal look, Rey then turned her attention back towards Ben once more. "I'm not talking to you, Solo." She scoffed as she went to walk away.

He caught her elbow. "Well then I guess you're going to force me into making a huge-ass announcement about the two us right here at your party, aren't you?" 

"You wouldn't fucking dare do that." she huffed, pulling her arm away from him.

"Mm, you are incorrect about that, doll." he chuckled as his body swayed back and forth. "I'm crazy enough to do just about anything right now. In fact....a little demonstration." He then turned his attention to an older man walking past them. "Excuse me, sir!" he called out, his voice booming.

The gray-haired gentleman--who thankfully wasn't with Rey's group--looked over at him. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Yes, sir. You see, I'm having a tiny problem. I'm absolutely in love with this beautiful woman here." Ben said, pointing towards Rey. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "And she won't give me a few minutes to explain an extremely fucked-up little misunderstanding. Do you have any suggestions as to how I should go about handling this?"

Appearing not the least bit interested, the man shook his head at Ben and then walked away.

"Fine!" Rey whispered, he tone heated. "I'm giving you two minutes, Solo, but that's it!" 

Spinning on her heel, she pushed through the doors to the room. He loved that fiestiness about her---it was one of many traits that he found incredibly attractive.

Ben then looked over at Rose. "Keep him busy for as long as you can, okay?"

Rose nodded. Upon entering the empty banquet room, Ben found Rey staring at him with her arms crossed in obvious annoyance. In the darkness, lit only by the opulent moon beyond a massive window, he could see the roaring fire behind her hazel eyes. As he walked toward her, she backed away and nearly stumbled over a tower of stacked chairs.

"Don't walk away from me, Rey." he commanded, his voice low as he moved steadily closer.

"Don't you fucking dare to tell me what to do, Solo!" she spat with her chin tipping up in defiance.

She continued to back away, the sound of her heels echoing throughout the room. She wanted to be impenetrable to his smell, his voice, and his face, but she knew the closer that he got--under the cool gleam of those amber eyes---that would be nearly impossible.

Undeterred, he continued his carnal pursuit until he had her backed against a table. Rey took a steeling breath as he slowly ran his hand over the curve of her jaw, up the side of her ear, to the nape of her neck.

Biting his lip, he bent his head and stared at her, both of them breathing heavily. "When I wanted to call, I didn't, but I almost did. When I needed to see you, and Jesus Christ, I've needed to see you so fucking bad, I got in my car, and then I got back out." he whispered, smoothing his free hand down the side of her waist. "Tell me you love me, Rey."

"Fuck you, Solo!" she hissed, her chest rising and falling. 

**********

_I wish you would, doll. I've give it all up to have that body next to mind---recalling our first night together. God, I want that, Rey. _He smirked, coaxing her face close so it was mere inches from his.

"Those pretty lips are hiding a lie." Gripping her waist tighter, he pulled her into his chest, the thrumming of their hearts colliding against each other. "You really think you can just rid me from your thoughts? You can't! I know you, I sense you! You're mine, Rey. Fucking all mine!" he growled. 

Rey didn't even think. She couldn't. It was beyond impossible. Before she knew it, she threw her arms around his neck and jerked her him down to her mouth. With her hands white-knuckled in his soft hair, she moaned against his lips.

This wasn't a passionate kiss by any means. No.

This kiss brooked no room for argument, and it was equally angry and possessive on both parts. Hot, sweltering, pent-up aggravation transferred between them--yet love, fierce love was there as well as they clung to each other.

Lips still locked, Ben picked up up and slammed her down upon the table, spreading open her thighs while he pushed himself between her legs. Rey tried to catch her breath as he grabbed the back of her knees and hooked her legs around his waist.

The sweet taste of alcohol in his mouth nearly intoxicated her.

A deep groan rumbled in the back of Ben's throat as his tongue swept over hers. The harder Rey tugged at his hair, the harder Ben kissed her. The harder he kissed, the further she fell---forgetting where she was and who she was, forgetting space, forgetting time itself, and forgetting how he'd hurt her so.

"Tell me you _love_ me, Rey." he snarled, the words spoken into her mouth as his hand then slipped under her skirt.

When he yanked her panties down, all Rey could concentrate on was the feeling of hot flames beginning to lick through her---and the feeling was threatening the last shreds of her self-control. His hand curved over her shot flesh. He then slid two fingers into her syrupy wetness as his thumb circled her clit.

Gasping, she tore her mouth away from his, her arms clinging around his neck as her breathing flew past her lips, becoming muffled into his shoulder. In all her anger, love passion, and hurt, she bit down and sank her teeth into his skin. She wanted blood. _His_ blood.

She wanted to hurt him---wanted him to feel the same agony and pain she had felt every day since that devastating morning. Ben groaned, and with his free hand, he fisted the back of her hair and tilted her head up, her back now taut as a bow.

His eyes bored into hers. With his breathing heavy and his fingers still sliding in and out of her, his mind drowned in the sound of her panting. He crushed his lips to her over and over again.

'If I could, I'd rip my fucking heart out to show you how much I love you." He nipped at her her, and she nearly came on his fingers. "Fuck, I miss you. I love you so much, and you're killing me here, Rey!"

"You bastard, you don't love me! I hate you, Ben Solo! I hate you!" she cried and tried to push him away.

He wouldn't let her though. He snaked his arm around her lower back, pulling her to the very edge of the table, his fingers never stopping their delicious onslaught inside her pussy. Rey thrusted her hands back into his hair, a moan escaping her lips as her head fell back, exposing her neck in all it's beauty.

Ben took the opportunity and buried his face against her collarbone. he traced a wet, torrid line up her neck, nipping and sucking until his mouth was over hers again.

"I wish so much that I could hate you---it's be a hell of a lot easier, trust me----but you have absolutely no idea how much I love you!" he breathed, sucking her bottom lip and gently biting down on it. "And that's not hate you're feeling right now, doll. You love me, goddammit! You're just mad about something that didn't even happen! Fucking hit me, get it out. Fucking punch me if you need to, but stop saying that you don't love me, because all you're doing is lying to yourself! You're tearing us apart!"

Still clinging to his hair, she pulled her lips away from his. They were both fighting for air as they burned hole into each other's eyes. With one hand buried in his hair, she then smacked him in the face with the other.

The sound reverberated throughout the room. At the same time, a moan left her mouth as she felt Ben's fingers slip out of her. Her body was left feeling tortuously bereft by their absence.

"I fucking hate you!" she cried out as her entire body braced itself for battle. 

"No, you don't. You love me, and I love you." he growled through gritted teeth, glowering at her. He cupped her cheeks. "Hit me again if you have to, doll! Just do it! Fucking hit me and get it all out of your system!"

She didn't even hesitate. She smacked him again, fury and confusion burning deep inside of her as angry, hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

Pulling her by the waist off the table, he set her down on her feet and crashed his swollen, red-cherry lips over hers again.

"Come with me---leave with me right now. D-Don't do this, Rey. Please, don't marry him!" he pleaded, his words vibrating against her lips.

Rey grabbed fistfuls of his sweatshirt, her eyes rolling back into her head as she sank into the familiarity of his kiss, smell, and touch. God, she still loved him---every single part of him!

"We'll tell him together. Just you and me. I told you once already that I wouldn't let you do it alone and I meant that. Jessika means nothing to me! I know shouldn't have let her in, but for fuck's sake, I didn't do anything with her!"

Pain. There it was again, sweeping as fresh as an open wound through her soul. It bled out with no sign of letting up. Whispering his sweet words of seduction while trying to veil the bitter taste of the ugly truth, that he was trying to break her own into nothing but tiny particles of dust.

Like a whip, the harsh reality of what he was trying to do cracked through her chest, disturbing her thoughts with its potency. Immediately, without conscious effort, the gates around the fortress of her shattered heart closed.

The most important thing now was to protect the remaining pieces.

She shoved hard against his chest, pushing him away. Looking down, scrambling to pull her panties back up, she couldn't even see the shock growing on his face. Without a backward glance, she headed towards the door.

In a few quick strides, Ben was at her side. Not intending to let her leave, he caught her by the arm and pulled her to a skidded stop. Swiping tears away from her hooded eyes, she looked up at him.

With his soul literally crying out for her to believe him, his expression ceased painfully. "I've never felt so heartbroken and so in love at the same time. If you would've told me the day we met that you were just goin to end up breaking my heart--and that the days, months, or even years that would pass by, that I would still be hurting like this---it wouldn't have stopped me from falling in love with any less isn't it." 

He slowly brought her knuckles up to her face, wiping the tears away from her beautiful, confused eyes, his voice soft. "I wouldn't have let her in, Rey. That's the only thing that I would've changed,. I wouldn't have fucking let her in!"

As her body trembled from head to toe, Rey stared at him, but before she could speak a word, the door flung open. Rose poked her inside with a slightly panicked looked upon her face. 

“Rey, Sarah is scouring the fucking restaurant for you right now!” She whispered, her tone urgent. 

Sniffling, Rey tore her gaze from Ben, her heart grating to shreds in the process. Her mind was no less confused than when she had first stepped in here with him.

Trying to calm herself, she took a deep breath, smoothing her hands through her hair and walked out of the room. Ben followed, his thoughts no less fucked up either. 

Rey looked at him as Rose hastily handed her a tissue. “You have to leave, Ben.” 

Shocked by her words, confusion and anger clouded this eyes. “I’m not fucking going anywhere!” He shook his head. “I’m in this wedding party, and I’m staying!”

She glares at him. “You’re just trying to hurt me now.” 

“You know what, Rey?” He said, swallowing tightly. “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m trying to hurt you as much as you’re clearly hurting me! The saddest part about this whole thing is that while I was in the begging you to stay with me, I didn’t even fucking realize you were already gone! So yeah, I’m staying, and I hope you fucking hurt through every goddamn second of it as much as I will. Deal with it!” 

After her mouth snapped shut from hanging agape, Rey spun towards the bathroom. 

Rose grabbed a hold of her arm. “No! You don’t have time now! You have to get in there right now, Rey!”

She plucked the tissue from Rey’s hand, licked it, and started wiping off the streams of mascara that were blanketing her cheeks.

Watching her intently, Ben smirked. “Don’t forget the lipstick smeared all over her face.” 

Rey shot him a cold look, but Ben didn’t pay her any mind. She has asked for this and now he was going to hurt her in the coldest, cruelest way possible. Tit for tat, doll! 

“I’m cool, right? There’s no lipstick left on me?” His smirk turned into a full-wafted smile. “I mean, I love getting kissed by women who claim they don’t love me—makes my big, fat dick hard as a motherfucker!” 

Letting our a heavy sigh, Rose handed Rey her crimson-red lipstick. Nothing screamed disaster the way Ben was presenting himself in that moment.

He was in love but also hurt but he fact that Rey refused to believe him. Rose knee deep down, he would never say any of this with a sober mind. 

“Oh my God, Ben, now you’re just being a fucking asshole.” Rey spat, reaching for the lipstick.

She quickly slid it across her lips. God, she still tasted of him—no measurement of man made makeup could ever erase that essence. He would remain as permanent as a tattoo upon her tainted skin.

Every pore reeked with him, every sweat gland has tasted him, and that wasn’t going away anytime soon. 

“Mmm, oh you haven’t seen anything yet, doll.” He chucked, tossing his hand through his unruly black hair. “I have a good feeling I’m going to break my own record tonight.” 

“God, you’re a jerk!” Rey hissed, now dabbing her cheeks with fresh powder.

He rolled his eyes and went to walk away to head to the restaurant, but stopped and slowly turned around to look at both Rey and Rose; a dark smirk growing across his lips. 

“And if I recall correctly, I think I once told you not to bring any attention to those pretty lips. Put the damn lipstick away or else I’ll drag you right back in that room and really change your fucking mind!”

He slowly ran his tongue over his mouth while his eyes shimmered with insatiable lust. Ross raised a surprised brow as Rey’s mouth dropped open. Heart broken in pieces, he turned in a leisurely pivot, tucked his hands into the pocket of his jeans, and sauntered into the party room.

Scanning the modesty sized space filled with thirty or so people, it didn’t take him long to lock eyes with Poe. Ben grunted as walked over to the bar and ordered himself a much-needed shot of tequila and a bottle of beer.

He threw a $100 tip to the bartender and turned around to find Poe directly behind him. 

Swallowing down the need to beat the living shit out him, Ben couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him standing there putting on that ridiculous fake smile of his. The motherfucker! I oughta know your goddamn teeth out!

“Ah—and there he is—the lucky fucking groom!” He tossed that much-needed shot down his throat, and out of the corner of his eye, he watched Rey float into the room. “And there’s your beautiful bride-to-be.” 

He gestured toward her with his head. With a suspicious expression, Poe stared at him for a moment and then turned around, motioning Rey over. If Poe couldn’t notice the way she nervously looked over at them, Ben sure as hell did.

When she approached, Ben popped of the top of his beers, arched a perfect brow, and bit his lip, making sure she heard the luscious smacking noise as he pulled it through his teeth. She just glared at him. 

“Are you all right?” Poe probed. “You kind of look upset about something.”

“I’m fine.” She replied, her voice monotone, her eyes never once leaving Ben’s.

“Are you sure? You seem a little....off.” 

**********

Drawing in a shaky breath, she finally looked over at Poe. “Yes, I said I’m fine.” 

After placing a kiss on the corner of her mouth, Poe curled his arm around her waist and then turned his attention back to Ben once more.

“What’s the deal with you here lately, man?” He asked, giving him a quick once-over. “You never showed up to the church, and now you come here to my rehearsal dinner looking like this?”

As Ben watched Poe circle his thumb against Rey’s waist, seething anger, sharp as razor blades shedded at his stomach. What he wouldn’t give right now to deck Poe square in the jaw! _Keep it cool, Solo! Your time will come!_

He flicked his eyes over at Rey. “I’m having a bit of a problem with a woman right now.” Ben answered evenly. 

“And? That still doesn’t excuse you showing up here looking like that—like a damn bum.” Poe retorted. 

With her pulse quickening, Rey could the see the fire surging behind Ben’s eyes. He was ready to snap—and as he said to her before he had no problem doing it in front of a large group of people either. 

“Poe.” She immediately interrupted. “Come on, does it really even matter how he’s dressed? Let’s just go sit down, okay?”

“Yeah, it fucking matters! He’s—“

“Poe!” She interrupted again, her tone more insistent now. “I’m not kidding around anymore! Let’s just go sit!” 

Poe narrows his eyes, and with that, she decided to bring her aggravated tone down a notch. He already thought something suspicious was going on, but whatever that something was he was keeping to himself...for now. 

“I don’t feel good right now and we don’t need to make a scene in front of all our guests. Come on.” She grabbed a hold of his hand and tugged. 

“I’d really listen to her if I were you.” Ben smirked, draping his arm over the bar. He took a long pull from his beer, nearly finishing it. “Just a guess, of course, but if you piss her off enough, she seems like the type that just might smack a guy around.” 

Rey’s eyes widened with shock and humiliation as she watched him run the palm of his hand over the exact spot where she had slapped him. _That sleazy-no-good, selfish wise-ass!! I could kill him right now! _

"And I bet it'd sting like a bitch, too." he added, turning his back to them.

His attention was focused on ordering another beer to help him aid in his self-inflicted hell. This was the worst pain he had ever felt and he was going to make sure that Rey felt just as bad as he did in that moment. 

"What's your problem tonight, bro?" Poe asked, tapping him on his shoulder. "You're all over the fucking place!"

Ben didn't turn around. "One, I'm not your bro, and two, I already told you---I'm having a problem with a woman right now."

"He's drunk, I think." Rey whispered against Poe's ear, her hearting thundering in her chest. "Let's just go and talk to Rose and Finn."

After starting at the back of Ben's head for a few lingering seconds, Poe looked at Rey and gave a tight nod. Knees week with relief, Rey silently released the breath she was holding.

As they made their way through the party, she made eye contact with Rose from across the room where she stood talking with Finn and Kaydel.

Shaking her head, Rose looked at the floor and then back to Rey---ashamed. It was then that Rey realized her and Ben's situation had put all of their friends in a very bad spot---and for this, the unrest in her stomach grew.

Trying to push her guilt aside, she plastered a smile on her face as she walked hand in hand with Poe through, greeting their guests.

After Rey endured a few minutes of light conversation--namely with guest she barely knew--her eyes landed on her best friend and her boyfriend once again. Considering the torture the evening had shown thus far, Rey felt slightly more at ease as they approached her and Poe. 

A wide, nervous-but-yet-friendly smile spread across Finn's face as he pulled her in for a long hug.

"Where'd you run off to before, soon-to-be, Mrs. Dameron? We were getting worried you can ran out on us there for a minute!"

Crossing his arms, Poe cocked his head to the side after Finn had released her. "Yeah, Where were you, actually? My mother said she looked everywhere and couldn't find you."

Rey opened her mouth to speak, her heart racing. Any minute she felt it would burst forth from her chest.

"Finn." Rose chirped, glancing at Rey. "I already told you, she went outside of a breath of fresh air."

Rey gave her a weak smile and mentally thanked her for the save---but she was still angry for letting Ben all but show his damn ass in front of her._ Don't think this conversation is over, Miss Tico, because it's far from it!_

Appearing confused, Finn ran a hand through his hair. "Hmm, maybe you did." he laughed, holding up his martini. "Or it's quite possible that I've had one too many of these since I've arrived."

"Why'd you go outside, babe?" Poe asked, placing his hand on the small of her back. "I asked if you were all right before, and you said that you were fine."

Smiling, Rose reached for Rey's hand. "We girls can get a little....emotional for the big day." Feeling nearly lightheaded, Rey gripped her hand tighter. "Finn, why don't you explain to Poe what we're looking to do with our retirement funds? I'd like to talk with my best friend about the wonderful "honeymoon" phase she's about to find herself in?"

"Oh yeah, okay, sure." Finn said, turning to Poe. Poe peered at Rey for a second and adjusted his tie. "If we don't get our shit together, Rose and I will most definitely not be retiring on an island somewhere."

Hesitantly, Poe dragged his gaze from Rey and gave Finn his attention. Hands still locked, Rey pulled Rey through the party, avoiding every possible guest that tried to stop and talk with her. Sitting at a small cocktail party table in the corner, she gave Rey a sympathetic look. 

"So what did he say to you?" Rose whispered with panicked curiosity burning behind her eyes.

"What do you mean? You were standing right there!"

"I didn't hear everything that happened; especially when you when into that room.....alone and completely unattended but I'm certain it got hot and heavy seeing as your lipstick was smeared when you stepped out." Rose exclaimed, brows raised.

Rey rubbed her temples. "He keeps saying that he didn't do anything with her." she answered, trying to keep the stinging tears threatening her eyes from spilling out. "He's just....I don't know."

Pressing her lips into a hard line, Rose studied her with concern. "Rey, is it at all possible he's telling you the truth?"

Slowly, Rey turned her head, her gaze immediately locked with Ben's. As it did every time that she stared at him, her heart raced and her breathing became uneven. Though he was talking with Hux, standing with both elbows propped on the bar, his eyes were intent on hers.

The sadness surrounding his presence was sickening, dragging her spirit down with him. Rey didn't know how long they stared at each other, bit it felt like forever.

She ran a hand through her hair, the need to believe his words growing to unbearable heights in her chest. Unwillingly, she tore her attention from his, bringing it back to Rose.

"I'm just so confused, Rose." she whispered. "I keep seeing her open this door. She wasn't dressed....she was so.....beautiful."

Before Rose could question the situation any further, Sarah called to Rey from a few feet away. Rey's head snapped up, her whole body trembling at this point. God, any second she just knew that she was going to break.

"There you are!" Sarah huffed, a questioning look molding her face. "I literally searched all over---"

"Yes, Sarah," Rose interrupted, rising to her feet. She reached for Rey's hand, and Rey stood up with her. "We know. You searched high and low for my best friend. She need a little breather. I'm sure you understand how nervous a bride can be the day before her own wedding."

She offered a smile that Rey knew to be as fake as they come. She was amazing sometimes, that Miss Rose Tico!

Sarah drew up a slow brow. "Well, of course I do." she flitted. Taking a sip of her white wine, she waved her hand in the direction of the U-shaped table in the middle of the room. "It's just everyone needs to take their seats now. The matred just notified me that the waiters should be coming around shortly to get everyone's orders."

Without waiting for a response, Sarah turned on her heel, her voice echoing throughout the room as she repeated her announcement to the rest of her guests.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I swear if that woman dyed her hair anymore black than it is, she could beat out the night sky in it's blinding effects, the cold-stone-hearted bitch." 

Yeah, cold-stone-hearted bitch was putting it lightly. There was so many things Rey could really call that woman--many! Rey pulled in a deep breath, shaking her head. Cupping Rey's cheeks, Rose then leaned into her ear.

"I love you, best friend! I just really wish I could help you with this. The only advice I can give you now is to go with what your heart's telling you."

Rey stared into her eyes, thoughts of her parents swirling around her head. They would most likely tell her the same exact thing that Rose was telling her right now and something about marrying Poe--it just---it didn't seem right.

"It doesn't matter that tomorrow's the big day. You could postpone it until you figure all of this out with Ben. The important thing here is that tomorrow represents the rest of your life. You need to know that you're spending it with the correct man. Don't feel stuck in a box. You know that Finn and I will help you in whatever way you need, right?"

Grabbing Rose's hand, Rey nodded and started making her way through the crowd. With every step that she took, the sound of a clock's pendulum swaying in her head reverberated through her ears. Time was running out.

_Tick....._

Poe's words to her a few hours before she took him back:

_Do you remember what your parents told us before they died, Rey? They told us to take care of each other. They told us to stick through whatever uphill battles life throws at us and never to give up on our relationship._

_Tock...…_

Ben's searing pleas to her while they stood in front of one another in the pouring rain:

_You don't hate me. You love me. And Jesus Christ, Rey, I love you with everything inside of me, with everything I am, with everything I'll ever be._

Palms sweaty and body shaking, Rey took another few steps.

_Ticktock….._

As she tried to fight back tears, Poe's voice kept pounding inside her thoughts:

_Let me fix it. I can fix it and make us better again. I can bring us back to where we used to be._

_Ticktock….Ticktock…._

_Leave with me right now. Please, don't do this, Rey. Don't marry him. We'll tell him together. I once told you that I couldn't let you do it alone and I meant that. Jessika means nothing to me. I shouldn't have let her ion, but for fuck's sake, I didn't do anything with her._

_Ticktock….Ticktock….Ticktock….._


	20. Chapter 20

Feeling completely torn, it was all Rey could do to make it to her chair without passing out onto the floor. Letting go of Rose's hand, she sank into her seat at the head of the table, her eyes following Ben as he moved steadily across the room.

He positioned himself diagonally from her, their view of each other as unobstructed as a full moon on a clear night. Draping an arm across Hux's chair next to him, Ben tipped his bottle of beer in Rey's direction with a lazy smile on his lips.

Shifting uncomfortably, Rey tore her attention from Ben when Poe sat down next to her. As he leaned over to kiss her, her eyes flew back to Ben, and if she wasn't mistaken, she could see his jaw tense up. Swallowing hard, she quickly pulled away.

"What the hell is wrong with you tonight, Rey?" Poe asked, his tone showing annoyance. 

She cleared her throat. "Nothing. I already told you that I wasn't feeling well, that's all."

"Well, I hope by tomorrow you'll fucking snap out of whatever's going on with you." he said, pulling his seat up to the table. "And something tells me that you're also fucking lying about not feeling well."

Rey's body rippled with an involuntary shudder at the thought that he could right through her. Not saying a word, she reached across the table for her glass of water. Nervously sipping it, she tried to calm her racing thoughts.

One of the waiters circling the room approached to take their orders, offering temporary reprieve from the conversation. She desperately needed a strong drink, but considering Poe told her he hadn't consumed an ounce of alcohol since he'd returned from Florida, she decided to forgo it.

Trying to keep her eyes from roaming to Ben's, she kept her head down, staring at her hands in her lap.

"So." Poe's cousin, Peter, called out to him from across the table. "One would assume you and the Mrs. here, are going to start working on making some babies tomorrow night after the wedding is over."

Rey's head snapped up, her eyes darting to Ben's. Gazing at her, a tight smirk curled Ben's lips. "They should have bucket-loads of babies---and a green minivan, too."

Rey's mouth hung ajar as she watched him casually lean back. Drowning the rest of his beer, he gave a shrug and exhaled a little laugh that didn't reach his eyes. Other than those who knew what was going on between them, the room broke out into quaking hysterics. 

"Let's hope so, Ben." Kes chuckled. "Sarah and I want some grandbabies as soon as possible. If they could fill a green minivan with little ones, then that would make us all very happy."

"Well, I don't know about making babies just yet, but I know we'll have fun practicing." Poe replied, tossing his arm around Rey's shoulder. Smiling weakly, she smoothed her hand down her neck, her perspirations on her body mounting by the second. "And the green minivan's not happening."

"Okay, ebough talk about green minivans." Sarah laughed. "Peter, since you're the best man. I'm sure you've prepared some sort of speech for the evening."

"Actually, Aunt Sarah, I didn't." he replied, motioning one of the waiters over. "Just the one. I've expertly prepared on index cards for tomorrow."

"Oh, come on, Peter." She leaned on her elbows on the table, folding her hands under her chin. "Surely you don't need index cares. Just get up and say something to our lovely bride and groom."

"I'd be happy to make a speech for our wonderful bride and groom." Ben chimed in, flickering his brown eyes to Rey. Rey stared up at him, he heart nearly stopping.

"Nah, you don't want to make a speech, Ben." Hux interjected, the nervousness in his voice showing that he was trying to salvage the situation at hand. "You've never been good at them."

Rising from his seat, Ben swayed slightly. He then looked over at Sarah. "I took public speaking courses in college, so Hux has no fucking idea what he's talking about. I'm pretty good at this shit." 

"Killer save there, Solo." Peter laughed. "I'm horrible at them, index cards or not." 

"Okay, Ben. Work your magic!" Sarah trilled, a beaming smile playing her lips.

Sitting next to her, Rose reached for Rey's hands and whispered. "Oh holy...fucking...shit-balls!"

Rey quickly looked at Hux, her eyes pleading. He just shook his head and shrugged. Pivoting, Ben faced Rey and Poe, his eyes immediately locking onto hers.

Trying to control her trembling body, she felt nearly on the verge of crying as she watched him reaching for the beer.

"Mmm, what to say, what to say." Ben whispered, staring at Rey. He planted his feet and leaned up against the wall, his head lolling slightly. "Well, let's start with the truth. That's always a good idea, right?" he questioned to the crowd, his voice now louder.

He looked around for a second at the abundance of smiling faces watching him. Pushing off from the wall, he brought his gaze back to Rey's.

"I was taught from a very early age that the truth was always a good thing....and the truth for me is that If I say I wish both you and Poe the best of luck....I'd be lying...because I fucking don't."

The smiling faces that had been plentiful immediately dropped. Right after Sarah let out a gasp, a thick silence descended throughout the room. Heart pounding and breathing shallow, Rey stared at Ben, the pain in his eyes searing through every limb in her body.

Feeling Poe's hand clench her shoulder slightly, Rey turned toward him. His eyes narrowed like a snake's on Ben.

Hux cleared his throat and rose from his chair. "See, apparently alcohol is making the speech for Ben right now." He laughed nervously. "Told you he was never good at these things."

"Sit down, Hux." Ben mumbled, his eyes never leaving Rey's.

"Really, man." Hux started. "I really think---"

"I said...sit....down...Hux." he slowly repeated.

Pushing his reading glasses up the bridge of his nose, Hux hesitantly took his seat once more. After a few moments of intently staring at her, Ben moved his gaze around the room towards the still freaked out guests.

"Really, people, it was just a joke--a simple fucking joke. Of course I wish them the best of luck. How could I not, right? Such a wonderful couple who's going to make a bucket-load of babies." He chuckled, crossing his arms. "Hey, maybe they'll make those babies in the back of a green minivan."

"Ben." Kes politely spoke up. "Son, you might want to wrap this up soon. Dinner should be out soon." 

"Yeah, wrap it the fuck up." Poe said, his cold, steady voice reaching across the room. He clenched Rey's shoulder, harder, his forehead wrinkling. "_Now_, Solo."

Rey's lips quivered. The room suddenly felt small as if the building was crashing in around her. With her heart stuttering, she looked up at Ben. His mouth turned up in one of the saddest, sweetest smiles she'd ever seen.

Raising his beer, Ben fiercely rubbed a palm over his dace. "Right, right, wrap it up. Okay." he said, looking around the room. "Everyone raise your glasses for the lovely bride and groom."

With uncomfortable tension churning in the air, friends and family alike slowly reached for their drinks. Eyes intent solely on Rey, Ben drew in a deep, slow, breath. Their hearts breaking in time with one another.

"Here's to bottle caps, the Yankee's and "birds" but most of all...." He paused, his voice lowering to a whisper. "....and most of all, to a beautiful girl named Kaydel who just refuses to believe the man who loves her---the man who loves her more than she'll ever know." He let out a sigh, condescending laugh. "Oh yeah...and to Rey and Poe."

When Hux gave Kaydel a bizarre stare from his side of the table she just shrugged. She had absolutely no idea how her name had gotten roped up into all this. Doubt. There it was.

Though barely skimming the surface, it was there, making itself known, stirring every nerve in Rey's body. From somewhere deep within her mind, her mind screamed that he night not have been lying to her as she had originally thought.

Closing her eyes, she choked back a sob that threatened to crawl up her throat. Opening them again, she felt her face go white as Poe slowly---so slowly----turned in her direction, his eyes anchoring her with something she'd never seen before.

Rising from his seat, Hux grabbed for Ben's arm. "Come on now, bro. I think you've had a little too much to drink tonight. I'm going to take you home."

With a frown snapping between his brows he quickly turned and pinned Ben with a glacial look.

Still staring at Rey, Ben jerked his arm away. "That's cool." He sniffed haughtily. "This fucking party sucks anyways."

Rey faintly registered the sound of Sarah gasping again. Reaching for Rey's hand, Poe stood up. "I think Rey and I will walk you out, Ben." His voice was ominously low, with fury burning in his eyes.

Ben glared at him for a moment before turning to make his way out of the room with Hux. Trying to suck in air that didn't seem to exist, Rey rose from her chair, tremors rolling off her body in waves.

Standing up, Rose whispered. "I'm going out with you guys."

"We'll be right back." Poe announced, his grip on Rey's hand tightening.

"Is everything all right, son?" Kes probed, also rising from his chair.

"Everything's fine, Dad, just stay here and for God's sake get mom a fucking drink or something while I'm gone!" Poe answered, walking past him.

Kaydel looked over at Rey in concern. She went to stand, but with two sharp shakes of her head, Rey mouthed for her not to. Reluctantly, she slowly sat back down, and whispered something into one of her friend's ears. 

As Poe dragged her through the lobby, Rey struggled to keep up, her palm sweaty against his. When they stepped out of the restaurant into the frigid air, her eyes locked on Ben, but he wasn't looking at her. His focus was on Poe.

Poe snapped his head back and forth between Ben and Rey. "Are you two fucking around?" he spit out through clenched teeth.

"No, Poe!" Rey breathlessly answered, her stomach rolling with fear and nausea. "Nothing's going. Look, Ben is just drunk!"

Ben's blue eyes hardened to gemstone brightness, blood-lust surging through his veins. He was tired of keeping his mouth shit, he was tired of pretending, he was tired of hiding. 

"You don't deserve her!" he growled, stepping closer to Poe until their faces almost touched. "Not....one....fucking....goddamn....inch!"

Before Rey's heart took another beat, Poe cocked his arm back and connected a sharp blow against Ben's mouth. Gasping, Rey pulled on Poe's bicep as she watch Ben slightly stagger backwards.

A cocky smirk washed over his face when he regained his bearings. Stepping forward, he wiped his hand across his bloodied mouth, his smirk never wavering as his hate-filled eyes never left Poe's.

Poe launched himself at Ben again, but Hux grabbed him and held him back. As if unaffected by any of it, Ben stood as still as stone, glaring at him.

With a huff, he spit at Poe. His blood-tinged saliva landed on Poe's cheek, slowly dripping down his face. Kes came rushing out of the restaurant, his eyes wide at the scene unfolding before him.

"You motherfucker!" Poe yelled, struggling against Hux and Kes's hold. "I'll fucking kill you, asshole!"

"Ben!" Rose let out. "Forget it! Come on, I'm taking you home!"

Walking backward with Rose tugging on his arms, Ben stared at Rey. She could feel his cold and pain-stricken gaze slide over her. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a bottle cap and fingered it in his hand before flicking it at her.

Rey felt it hit her chest, her heart constricting and clenching in the process. Averting her eyes down, as though in slow motion, she watched it hit the ground, spinning recklessly in circles at her feet.

It mimicked her every emotion. Although Poe continued yelling and other patrons had gathered outside, the only sound piecing Rey's ears, like nails against a chalkboard, was the bottle cap clinking and clanking.

It reverberated in her soul as a single tear broke loose, slipping down the side of her cheek. Slowly lifting her head, Rey found Ben staring at her. His beautiful face looked weary, broken, and defeated. 

He turned, and like a ghost vanishing through the air, he disappeared into Rose's car. In that second, with her heart in her stomach.

Rey was sure that his last vision of him would sear itself into her mind, haunting her forever. As she watched the taillights fade into a distant glow amid Manhattan's chaotic traffic, she felt Poe's hand wrap around her arm, his ironclad grip burning her flesh.

Before she knew it, he was quickly leading her back into the restaurant, with Poe's father and Trevor behind them. Swallowing hard, Rey wiped her tears away from, trembling from head to toe.

**********

Once they entered the party room, Poe let go of her and stalked over to the table. Yanking her purse from the back of her chair, he fished his keys from his pocket, his face fevered with anger. "Me and my fiancé are leaving!" he barked out, making his way back to Rey.

"You can't just leave, Poe!" Sarah retorted, her tone insistent as she looked around. She rose from her chair, sweeping her hand across the room. "You have important guests here. It's apparent something's going on between you and Rey here, but you need to tend to that later."

He shot his mother a ice, cold look. "Like I said, we're fucking leaving!"

Sarah's eyes bulged and she went to speak, but Kes placed his hand on her shoulder, silencing her.

"I know what the fuck I'm doing tomorrow!" Poe spewed, pointing to himself. After grabbing Rey's hand, he pointed to the bridal party. "Do you all know what you're doing tomorrow?!

The crowd of family and friends stared silently at them, nervously shifting in their seats. Rey's friends went to get up. Once again, Rey shook her head, her eyes literally begging them not to do anything. 

Pursuing her lips with worry, Kaydel crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing at Poe. However, she remained silent.

"That's what I thought!" He pulled Rey toward the door. "We'll see you all tomorrow at eleven then!"

After retrieving Rey's jacket from the coat rack. Poe weaved them through the lobby, nearly running into other guests. Once they reached his car, Rey drew in a deep breath, trying to coax down her stammering nerves.

Sliding into the seat, she bit her lip nervously as she watched him around the vehicle, the blazing look in his eyes triggering an upsurge of fear throughout her entire system. Getting into the car, he slammed the door and, without looking at her, he started at the engine.

Suffocating.

Rey felt as if she were suffocating as he curtailed out of the parking spot, his hands tightening around the steering wheel, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

As thoughts of Ben fired off in her head, she noticed they were heading in the wrong direction.

"I need to go back to my apartment." she whispered, the blood whooshing through her veins. It pounded and correlated with the throbbing pain growing inside her chest.

"You're out of your fucking mind if you really think I'm letting you go back to your place!" he snapped, his eyes never leaving the road.

Rey's heart seized and started racing as though it was about to burst right through her rib cage. She had never seen Poe this angry before and it frightened her to know what lay ahead.

"You're staying with me tonight!" he added, his tone harder. "I'll bring you home in the morning to get your shit before the wedding!"

Fumbling for something to say, she stared at him but cowered back when he whipped his hand in her direction, the fury in his eyes threatening to torch her into flames.

For the remainder of the ride, she kept quiet, and by the time they pulled up to his town house, she was sure she was already sinking into the fiery pits of hell. Getting out of the car, he didn't under a single word as they climbed the stairs to his front door.

With her nerves trembling and skin crawling, Rey jumped when Poe slammed the door.

After ripping his jacket from his body, he loosened his tie, moved into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of Jack Daniel's from the cabinet. He plucked a glass off the counter, filled it to the brim, and chugged half of it down.

Brows knitted together and hostility brimming in his irises burning coals, he motioned her over to him with his finger. Rey couldn't take in enough air as she slowly peeled her coat off and dropped the purse onto the sectional. 

She stared at him from across the room, a cold spiral of fear running down her very spine.

"Come here, Rey." he said, his voice laced with a sickening calmness.

She swallowed, looking at him as he stared at her. Inhaling as her footsteps echoed against the marble floor, she cautiously inched her way into the kitchen , anxiety steadily building within her.

Approaching him, bile rose in her throat when he darted his hand out, yanking her by the arm into his chest. Feeling his heart pound against hers, she didn't bring her eyes up to meet his.

She couldn't. Something darker ran fear had taken over her. Trying to catch her breath, she stared at his mouth, which curled lopsided into a most wicked grin.

Bringing his knuckles under her chin, he slowly lifted her face, looking into her eyes, his voice low. "You went and fucked him, didn't you?"

"No." she whispered, her voice weak, her muscles growing weaker by the second.

With his breath hot in her face, his tone remained the same but his eyes hardened. "And you really expect me to believe that cock of bull?!"

"Yes." she answered trying to keep her body from shaking.

Felt her stomach churn when he brought his other arm around her waist, kneading his fingers into the small of her back. He dipped his head, running his nose along her brow. She pulled in a sharp breath as he used the weight of his body to push her back, pinning her against the cold granite counter.

With tears welling in her eyes, her heart tripled over as she stared at him.

His black curly hair--usually meticulously well-kept and styled--hung over his forehead. "Because you do know that if you fucked him, you mean absolutely nothing to him." he whispered, grazing his lips over the shell of her ear. "He'll fuck anything that opens it's legs for him."

Though dread of what he’d said washed over her, and her heart felt exposed with torn open fresh wounds, she didn’t reply as she tried to mentally push his cold, piercing words aside. 

Burying his face in her hair, he pulled her tighter against his rigid chest. “So I ask you again, my dearest? Did you fuck him?” 

“No, I didn’t fuck him!” Body still shaking, the whispered words slid from her mouth, her voice feigning innocence. 

Slowly, he dragged his fingertips across her cheek and slid his thumb over her quivering red lips. “Do you love me, Rey?”

Staring at him, she was confused by the question and unsure of how to answer it. Her gaze reflectively dropped to the floor, her mind racing as she searched for something to say. 

“Listen, we’ve had a rough couple of months, Poe.” She whispered, bringing her eyes back to his. 

He cocked his head to the side. “You didn’t answer my question.” 

He leaned in closer, his breath whispering against her cheek. One hand gripped her waist while the other cupped the back of her neck; squeezing. It hurt. God, it fucking hurt! 

“Do you love me?” 

She swallowed and stared at him, a sob breaking past her lips now. 

“I do love you, but I think—“

He cut her off, quickly bringing his fingers up to her lips, silencing her. Breathing heavily, her body trembled as he dropped his hands and placed the on the granite counter, caging her like an animal. 

“Then prove it to me.” He whispered, his face inches off from hers, the smell of hard liquor oozing from this mouth. “If you don’t fuck him—and you love me, Rey—then prove it.” 

She stared at him--body, mind and soul--shaking as he slowly slid his fingertips down her arm. Reaching for her hand, her hastily led her to his bedroom. He snapped the door closed and started removing his clothing.

The entire time, his eyes never left hers, their intent revealing an urgent need to reclaim her, to reclaim what they had.

"Take off your clothes." he ordered, his voice low as he approached her.

Standing completely naked before herm he breathed heavily, the sound hanging thick in the air. Rey stood rooted to the floor, unmoving---dying inside little by little.

"You will prove it to me, Rey." He framed her face with his hands. She looked away, but he cupped her chin, forcefully bringing her attention back to him again. "Because, if you don't....." he whispered, leaning into her ear. ".....then I'll know you fucked him. And you want to know what'll happen next, doll?"

Even the way Ben's nickname for her rolled off his tongue left a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. For the first time, almost as if snapping out of a trance, she could see the person Poe Dameron really, truly was.

He was a monster! They told her, hell, they've been telling her from the start but she's bee too stubborn, to afraid to accept it. With her heart ricocheting in her chest, she nervously swallowed, her throat feeling as though sandpaper coated the lining. She shook her head.

"You'll force me to hurt you both." he hissed, his hands now fumbling to unbutton her blouse.

Standing completely still and silent, her instincts warned her to flee, but she couldn't. In the darkness of the room, the tears that she was trying to hide tumbled down her cheeks.

However, they fell silently as Poe stripped her down to nothing---physically…..mentally....and emotionally.

Pushing her down onto the bed, he hovered over her naked body. His face was peppered with anger, lust and possession. Spreading her legs open, he sank himself inside of her, and it was then the blackness of what Poe had become enveloped her like a cold shadow.

She knew in that very moment she was grasping on to something that would never be again. She could never love him the way she once had, and she could certainly never love him the way that she now loved Ben. 

When her body had no more to give, she succumbed to the numbness that set in. Closing her eyes, she tried to shut herself down as he rocked into her harder, interminable pain pulsing through her head.

She envisioned Ben's copper-amber eyes above her instead of the dark, vengeful ones staring back at her. Inhaling, she tried to picture that it was Ben's hands groping her breasts, Ben's sweat dripping onto her body, and Ben's lips kissing her mouth.

_Ben...._

Poe grunted and collapsed all of his weight on top of her when he had finished. Within minutes, he was fast asleep. Hours. Rey lay there for hours, her mind replaying Ben's words over and over.

Feeling as though she had cheated on her own heart---her very heart that belonged in Ben's hands---Rey slowly slid from the bed, her breathing shallow as her feet hit the ice-cold floor.

There would be no lace veils or vows taken tomorrow. No. There wouldn't be promises made or lies spoken. Ben was correct.

Her lips held lies, and those false truths had potentially ruined his and future together. She loved him, and now she would waist no more time to go to him. She could only hope that he would forgive her for ever doubting him and his love for her.

As quietly as possible, Rey gathered her clothing and quickly got dressed. She also gathered the nerve she do desperately needed to finally leave Poe for good. She stood in the threshold of his bedroom, watching his sleeping form.

As tears sprung in her eyes, she could feel her heart breaking and mending all at once.

"Good-bye, Poe." she whispered.

Almost tripping over her bare feet, Rey moved quickly into the living room and grabbed her shoes, coat and purse. Trying to avoid making any noise, she slipped on her coat but kept her shoes in her hand as she tiptoed toward the front door.

She reached for the knob, sucked in a deep breath, and slowly pulled it open. Though the door creaked, the sound echoing through the town house, her fear of waking Poe was dwarfed by her incapacitating fear of losing Ben forever.

The latter propelled her out and into the cold winter air.

_Ticktock…..._


End file.
